B
H, J 2 GOODWIN'S WEEKLY.
H ' This would likewise include Great Britain, for
H'l her forced shipments of gold to India will, as
' things are going on, in a few months compel her
B' to suspend gold payments. 'She would gladly
H re-open her India mints to silver were our coun-
K try to give silver recognition on the baBis of
H i one dollar in gold for an ounce of silver.
H The legislation would cause joy all oyer our
B country and at once equalize our exchanges with
Hl China and Japan. It, too, would give us the trade
H I of the orient, and China would bo glad to take
H all the silver we could spare.
H There is not one sensible argument against
m such legislation, but the appeal for it will have
B to come from the monied men of the east. Con
B gress will not dare act without their approval.
JaB Long ago Jones and Stewart and Beck and
H, Bryan and the rest thundered in the ears of the
Hi misguided east that there could not be enough
VaH gold and silver Combined obtained to serve the
H I world's needs of money.
H They had behind them the world's experience
H;! for a thousand years. Since then the gold of tho
j world has been doubled but look at the situation
today!
H There is no difference in the component parts
Hl, of the two metals save density; they are the
K' only two metals perfectly fitted for use as
H1 money and that is why they long ago were set
H aside and denominated "Precious metals."
B The mistakes of 1873 and 1893 have cost
ftwflj this country untold sums. Why not correct the
H mistakes now?
H We are sure that with a petition prepared
Hi and carried to New York, Senator Thomas would
Hfj go up from Washington to help urge its accept-
Hfj anco and with it recommended by the leading
H!l New York bankers, congress would act in a day.
Hn And never was such legislation needed half as
B much as it is right now.
B, Discouraging
VaW A LiL that country in Europe that is being
B I -i ground by the wheels of cannons, trodden
B into dust by marching men and the hoof beats
KH of horses, has been fought over many times dur-
B ing these past two thousand years. The flrBt
VH ' fighters were barbarians and their weapons were
B battleaxes, spears and bows and arrows, and
KH their shields were made of leather.
B They looked to Odin as their chief god and
B Thor his son as their example. They were not
KH utterly savage but they wero barbarians all right
B enough and when they killed men or stole prop-
B erty or looted cities, all those eccentricities they
B looked upon as part of their business and lost
B no sleep through remorse.
B They often went to war for no cause except
B that they coveted what belonged to others and
KBj made war to obtain it. All our lives wo have
H been thinking of those old plunderers with
m mingled thoughts of horror and pity. Where they
H roamed and looted enlightenment grew apace,
fl Fair cities grew into form, the fields have been
H; trained to bring forth annual harvests; the songs
H' of industry have driven from the air the savago
B chants; the idols have been broken and beautiful
H cathedrals have appeared and enlightened schools,
H and men have been taught to look to the real
HI living God to worship and to seek redemption
H through His son. But in tho hght of the present
H have we any right to look back with horror and
H pity upon those early barbarians?
H The weapons have changed and have become
KB much more destructive, but have the hearts of
Hh men changed?
H The grizzled warriors of the early world
JB fought for power and plunder, what Is all western
; Europe ablaze with war now for except plunder
vft and power?
H And what can the end be but a wreck with
the earth and sea cumbered with dead and all
those lands filled with mourning robes and broken
hearts?
Take Russia for instance. She will probably
suffer less than either of the other great powers,
but .suppose she had taken the money she will
expend in the war to educate her people and
provide then with work at fair wages, and had
turned her strong men that will be killed and
maimed in the war into producers would not tho
result in ren years have been more power than
she can gain, more love among the people for
their rulers, more self respect and more respect
from the world outside?
In the natural course of things Austria will
be wrecked if not dismembered, Germany so
shattered that it will require a generation to re
cuperate In; Great Britain will feel that her
coasts are once more secure, but England will
be filled with mourning robes. Only volatile
France, if she can see her armies return in
triumph will be reconciled and will hide the va
cancies in their ranks with flags and vivas.
Will the world learn any new lessons by the
cataclysm.
It may but we doubt it. The cross was up
reared nineteen hundred years ago but looking
at Europe today who will say that the wild beast
instinct in the souls of men at first does not
maintain its place?
The prayer of every American should be that
our people may be drawn nearer together and
that our country's standard be exalted until it
shall become a symbol of Peace and Power to all
the world.
A Promising Field
THIS is a time when closer trade relation with
South America should be sought. It would
not be much for a few manufacturers, merchants
and other capitalists to expend about $15,000,000
on that line, say $6,000,000 for great compartment
stores in Bahai, Rio and Buenos Ayres and a line
of five steamers to ply between New York and
those ports. Brazil needs our salted meats and
fish, pianos, agricultural implements, household
furniture, automobiles and cotton clothing; Ar
gentine wants the agricultural implements, house
hold furniture, clothing, automobiles, boots and
shoes, locomotives, street cars, electrical fit
tings a world of our products. We need the
rubber, the fruits, the sugar and coffee and fine
woods of Brazil and the meat, hides, etc. of Ar
gentine. Heretofore those countries have relied mostly
upon England, IFrance and especially Germany
for what they required. They would take readily
to the department stores and soon become accus
tomed to the American flag. The direct trade
would soon be very great, but what would be
better would be for Americans to learn the re
sources of those countries and where successful
great enterprises could be inaugurated. It would
supply a great field for our educated young men,
and a safety valve for our country, by turning
the immigration from southern Europe that way.
The businesa is entirely feasible and the prom
ise of success is most all iring.
How Long Will The War Last
TV TEN are asking how long tho war will last.
1" Our idea is that it must be brief for two
reasons. The modern implements of destruc
tion are so terrible that human nature can
not bear the strain that will follow the sacri
fices on the battle fields when they come to be
counted. When the stage is fully set, the first
tremendous act called and the French and Bel
gian and British armies confront and close with
the Gorman army, by comparison Waterloo will
look like a mere reconnaissance in force.
Of course, a long war would bankrupt the old
worjd, but tho prospect of that would not cause
the fighting to-cease. But to fight, soldiers must
be fed and Europe has not a food supply suffi
cient or the means of getting the supplies to the
soldiers through a long campaign. To keep a
large army supplied with food and ammunition
when an active campaign is in progress is a
mighty task. When those armies are increased
to hundreds of thousands, the utmost exertions
are needed so badly that the work cannot be long
maintained.
This is when nothing unusual happens, but
what if the roads in the rear of armies are de
stroyed, what then?
In this Russia will hold out better than her
foes, for her soldiers are accustomed to only
the plainest food, then no enemy can penetrate
far into her territory and she is the only one
of the powers engaged that raises large amounts
of food for export.
We have the food, but no ships, and were it
possible to procure the ships, the chances are
ten to one that we could only reach a few of
the ports, of Great Britain and France with
them. Of course, all there facts are perfectly
understood by the several combattants, so, na
turally, the object on both sides will be to press
the fighting and make an end of the struggle
as quickly as possible.
We look to see more history made in the
next forty days than was ever before made in
the same length of time, and "it will not be
strange if in that time it will be demonstrated
to Europe that war has served its purpose among
civilized nations.
We suspect that within the next forty days
more than one power in Europe will be anxious
to consider earnestly President Wilson's offer
of mediation.
Getting Ready
TT is pretty warm, but the katydids are per
1 sistent in their notices that in the far north
old winter is already mobilizing his forces and
that his advance guards will be pitching their
tents on the Wasatch range in a few weeks.
Winter is a dramatic old chap and is more
fond of display than a peacock.
He loves to hear his ancient pipers the winds,
like a million bag-pipes calling his legions to
gether; he loves to don his white helmet of snow '
which he sent out to be cleaned last spring; he
loves to watch his hazy skirmish line and to have
the frost paint his mustache, white.
And when the legions of his clouds are gath
ered around him, and start on their southern
march, he looks about him and says: "This is &
some procession." I
He has been at this annually, longer than
Buffalo Bill has been in the field, and could we
read the symbols on his banners, we would see
that they herald "The biggest show on earth."
A Censor Needed
'T'HERE should be a press censorship over 1
the news sent by the cables from Europe 1
to this country. The news for three weeks has !
been often most bewildering. The slightest
rumor is sent as a fact and worse still the per
sonal likes and dislikes of the senders are woven
in as news.
There are thousands of people in this country
who are natives of the countries involved in the
unparalleled tragedy, the preliminary acts of
which ore being performed on the European
stage and the sending of news from there should
not be left to rattle-headed men who in their
own minds are fighting the battles in advance
and shading the dispatches to suit their own de
sireB. .J