H 2 GOODWIN'S WEEKLY.
H propose to the United States Government a con-
m vention to see if terms of peace with the United
H States could not he agreed upon.
H ' But the response of the Allies should not dls-
H courage! President Wilson. Assuming for the
H sake of argument that all the charges against
H Germany and Austria are true, they do not con-
Hi stitute a reason for starving innocent women
H( and children by thousands, for killing soldiers by
IHt tens of thousands, if any reasonable terms of
peace can be reached and agreed upon.
. It seems plainer and plainer that a confer
ence of the neutral nations should be called, to
Hi see if such rules cannot be formulated that when
H1 adopted and accepted as part of an international
H, code, there could be rules laid down which all
H thev belligerents might accept.
H. In a crude form something like the following:
H' Article 1. The Hague tribunal shall bo the
H parliament of all nations to be in perpetual ses
H H Article 2. It shall have a special committee
H on arbitration composed of seventeen members.
H Article 3. When two nations have irresistible
H differences they shall not go to war, but must
H submit their respective claims to this committee
H for hearing, which committee shall then sit as
H a court to hear evidence and arguments.
H Article 4. The decision of this court shall be
H submitted to the whole tribunal and its decision
H must govern.
H Article 5. There shall be no offensive and
Hj. defensive action between individual nations, but
H all nations must be in alliance to make perpetual
fl the peace of the world.
W Article G. If any nation decides to go to war
1 without the consent of the tribunal, such nation
H shall be declared an outlaw and shall be pursued
W by all nations with war, boycott and astracism.
w Article 7. The armies of all nations shall be
, reduced to .. per cent of the population of each
K nation.
Hr Article 8. The warships of the world's navies
f shall be regulated in numbers and tonnage in the
' same proportion for each nation as controls its
B standing army.
M Article 9. Neither Article 7 or 8 shall be
M construed to put any limitations on any nation
m giving Its youths military training, to make ef-
m fective national policies.
f. Something like the above, universally accept-
HL ed, would enable great nations to reduce their
H expenses by millions and tens of millions an-
j nually and enable them to begin their trade ex-
M pansion, and would cure the perpetual anxiety of
weak nations.
M It would open the Dardanelles to Russian
H ships, make unnecessary the fortifying of the
H Panama canal zone, turn at once millions of men
H now supported in standing armies into wealth
H ' producers, reduce the expenses of the world
H,, by uncounted millions in short be to the world
Hi a transformation and give to Christianity more
H(' than has been conceded to it in all the two
H thousand years since the cross began to illumi-
H nate the earth and soften and exalt the hearts
H of men.
H A Dismal Picture
H f UR friend, Jerold Letcher, has become the
H - feature in the office of secretary of state.
HI His picture as published in the Herald-Repuo-
H! lican would never be recognized by his oldest
Hr friends in Missouri, but the friends here who
H know him best will construe it to mean that he
was under a pressure when he sat for It, but that
H jp from its frame work the real Letcher could be
H I built up around it. The announcement that he
H will be the real thing in the office of the secretary
H1 Li of state will be a guarantee that the office will
H bo run on the dead square and with an ability
thai; will never grow lax nor fail to meet every
W$ " requirement. But that it was a vagrant kodak is
manifest and for the credit of his new office
the picture should be supplemented by one that
his own wife would know.
War's New Requirements
THOSE who read Sir Douglas Haig's report of
the Somme battle, which was cabled a week
ago, must have noticed especially what ho said of
the air craft in his army and how his troops had
learned to stand off the liquid fire and poisonous
gas of the enemy. The air craft had watched
everything and sent signals of what was needed
and the danger points in the enemies' lines. He'
said: "Great fertility of invention has been
shown and great credit is due to the special per
sonel employed for the rapid success with which
their arms have been developed and perfected
and for the devotion to duty displayed in difficult
and dangerous service. The army owes thanks to
the chemists, physiologists and physicists of the
highest rank who devoted their energies to en
able us to surpass the enemy in the use of.
means of warfare which took the civilized world
by surprise. Our own experience of the numer
ous experiments and trials necessary before gas
and flame could be used, of the great preparations
which had to be made for their manufacture and
of the special training required for the persons
employed, show that the employment of such
methods by the Germans was not the result of
desperate decision but had been prepared delib
erately. Since we 4iave been compelled in self-defense
to use similar methods, it is satisfactory to be
able to record on the evidence of prisoners, docu
ments captured and our own observations that
the enemy has suffered heavy casualties from our
gas attacks, while the means of protection adopt
ed by us proved thoroughly effective."
Some months ago, when from Washington
there were daily shrieks over the necessity of a
better preparedness, we pointed out that the
American people never lacked a swift response
when soldiers were needed, but asked what the
army department was doing to have the means at
hand to provide soldiers effectively for actual
war. Our thought was that had the same zeal
been manifested that is being manifested in Eu
ropean armies, when Villa made his raid upon
Columbus, our aeroplanes would have been sleuths
on his track the next morning and ho never would
have escaped.
Our belief is that military training should be a
part of the curriculum of all our higher public
schools, high schools and universities, that the
people generally might become familiar with the
simpler duties fo the soldier, and that enough
officers might be on hand, in the event of a sud
den war, to train the armies that might be
needed, but that in Washington and in the reg
ular army, there should be a constant effort to
perfect soldiers in all modern devices and to try
to invent new devices for making armies more
destructive. For this special premiums should
be paid, which would make every chemist and
every inventor alert to earn the reward. If wars
can only be stopped by such devices for destroy
ing human life as human nature cannot stand
before, then rewards for the invention of such
devices should bo offered.
War is no longer confined to the earth and
the ocean; the air and the deep sea are now in
cluded, and the only safety for nations is to bo
prepared in every way and in every place, for
what may come. The most alert soldier and the
most alert trained sailor in the nation should
be at the head of the army and navy depart
ments, especially of our government.
The New Year
IT was a white New Year's day as well as
Christmas, and the now year is filled with
promises of good for Utah; mines, fields, ranges,
orchards are all in evidence for profits to own
ers; the demand for workers is insured, with
fair rewards offered, cooks and housewives are
drawing more reward than were given learned
professors a few years ago, and what is true of
Utah is true in every state. Why should not the
American people be exultant In the beginning of
this new year? According to an act of the Eng
lish parliament the world was created 4004 years
before the coming of the Messiah. That would
make this present New Year the 5,921st since the
beginning and this last one is more filled with
promise than any preceding one. And this is a
reminder to letter writers to be sure to .date their
missives 1917.
For Cheaper Food
THE rural banks, we are told, " are for the
benefit of the farmers. Why not expand that
idea in Utah for the benefit of those who are
not farmers but would like to be?
A very large area of the farming lands of
Utah under cultivation have been diverted to the
raising of sugar beets. This is one cause of the
greatly increased cost of farm food products. But
there is plenty of land left, which, with facilities
for irrigation added, would be available for in
creasing the food supply; there are, despite the
scarcity of labor, plenty of men to bo found who '
would be glad to do farm work. Why can not
some of these now barren lands be brought under
cultivation and thus reduce the cost of the sim
pler farm foods?
Why cannot the state intervene in behalf of all
classes of people, by becoming a farmer itself?
The penitentiary is filled with lusty scoundrels
who might be made farmers. Why should they
not earn their board by producing more food, or
by making the reservoirs and ditches necessary
to bring now arid lands under cultivation? Why
not have a state farm which would not only be
self-supporting, but which would add to Utah a
food supply which would reduce the cost of food?
Cannot our new governor and the incoming
Legislature work this problem to a solution and
start a state farm? The general government
would help in carrying water to such a tract.
Why not make a move for cheaper food?
THHE inauguration ceremonies were simple, im-
pressive and beautiful. But Governor and
Mrs. Spry should have walked in front of Governor-elect
Bamberger and Mrs. Bamberger up
the steps, for Governor Spry was still governor. ,
Coming out of the capltol the order should have
been reversed. The outgoing president rides on
the right of the incoming president to the capitol,
on the left upon returning.
TT would have been an innovation, but it would
have been beautiful, could Governor Bamberger,
after he took the solemn oath of office, have
stretched forth his hands and repeated the mag
nificent prayer that Solomon offered at the dedi
cation of the Great Temple.
But then, maybe, our governor cannot repeat
that prayer.
TT is queer that Ex-Governor Hunt of Arizona
should want to advertise himself as a churl
to all the world on going out of office. His pro
cedure ought to make every member of his own
party resolve that never again should he bo put
in a position where ho could disgrace himself and
his party.
TVTHEN Ex-Governor Spry thinks it all over he
should be content and he might hum to him
self the words of the old king: "Let not him that
girdeth on his harness boast himsolf as he that
putteth it off."