THE AWFUL CRIME

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 79, 30 September 1929, Page 7

THE AWFUL CRIME

UNJUSTIFIABLE WAR

SHADOW OF MAILED FIST

SVOELD ARMAGEDDON

"(By the United States Senator, W. E. Borah.)

ffhere is a fascinating story to be found in mystic lore—l read it years •go —which undertakes to reveal, how ■n awful crime committed in the stately Home of an old estate for ever after determined the fate of the inmates of that home., Those, born long after the crime had been committed, those ■wholly innocent: of the crime, were nevertheless compelled to recognise the ■ effect and to obey the fateful decrees and thus to suffer because of the crime of; their ancestors. When some boy or girl in the family sought to escape the spell of the ancient crime, disease or confusion of purpose took hold of him and he was brought back helpless to shrivel and die within the four walls of the_ accursed mansion. This'story illustrates my though ts. Ten years ■ ago an awful; crime was committed—a war without justification, brutal, and ruthless beyond precedent, was waged for four years. Many were responsible for this crime. SPIRIT OF VERSAILLES. The question which I propound is: Bow long is that crime going to-fix the fate .of unborn generations? , How, long are we going to determine / our course as a people, or .peoples,!because of the decrees and the pronouncements which spring from that crime? For myself, I am in favour of determining our course,! not by what criminals did ten years ago, but by what the interests of humanity and the calls of justice at the present time, and for the . future demand of us. Let us break this spell of the "World War crime and do bur deeds and shape our policies in . the light of present necessities and future demands. When the Treaty of Versailles was signed, a celebrated Stench statesman declared: "This treaty is a continuation of the war." Subsequent years seem to have' confirmed this cruel prophecy. Perhaps the most important question in international affairs at this time, is: How to escape from the feelings, the bitterness, and the influences born of the World War. We are proceeding along the same lines and in the sameway that we would proceed if the war had closed but yesterday. We seem not to have escaped at all from its influences. We are not building with'our faces to the future, but building with* our thoughts wholly upon the past. How long shall the spirit of Versailles animate and control international There has "not been a conference in Europe during these, ten years but.has had to contend with this"" "war spirit." ■ Europe is plastered with military alliances. It has the heaviest military establishments at this time that it has ever had in its history, heavier than when the war. broke out in 1914. . "DISARMAMENT. All this is well illustrated by the socalled peace conversations which lately took place in. Europe. Hopes and ideals and ptens were discussed. But the one concrete result of the gathering was the place and the status conceded to conscription and to the reservist forces. These constitute the rock foundation of militarism. Little, wonder, therefore, when they were given a secure place, was great .rejoicing and the Ironical announcement was made that ■we could now come to a better understanding with reference to disarmament. Step by step for the last ten years, •while talking of a disarmament and peace, there, have been fastened upon the world the greatest military establishments in all history, and naval armaments without precedent or parallel. Humanity escaped from the World War mangled and bleeding and carrying a great tax burden, a burden which meant, and_ still means, hunger and disease to millions of men, women, 'and children. To what extent have the last ten years been utilised to lessen the ■weight of armaments or to lighten this load of. taxes? Out "armaments have grown heavier and our taxes haxe increased. In the language of the statesman first quoted, the war has gone on —the conflict just continued. It has not been waged just as it waa waged prior to 11th November, 1918, but waged in a way scarcely less deadly in its effect upon millions of human beings. .'; . •The world is watching with anxious solicitude the struggle now going^on over reparations. If it were only. a question of dollars and cents, only a question of how much Germany can pay and still live, the intellectual combat would; still,-be of uncommon' interest. But .in:a large measure that struggle involves' the economic health of Europe, and possibly the future peace of that continent, if not of the whole world. And it is all being fought out upon war lines, ana in the spirit of the great war conflict. Posterity has no change to be heard. Those who must earn the vast sums to be paid, as well as those who may suffer in case peaceable adjustments are not made have no voice. The participants in that conference are tied down by the dead hand of the past. THE BURDEN OF WAR. When the. war ended Germany was stripped of her colonies, deprived of Alsace-Lorraine, one of the richest industrial centres jot the world, of the vast wealth of the Saar Valley and of Upper Silesia, ana of her shipping In addition to all this, Germany has paia in cash and kiria a sum equal to billions of dollars. It has been said that nothing is ever settlea until it is settled' right. Ana I maintain that these,questions cannot be settled light if we are going to be governed by conditions ana supposea facts of ten years ago. We must take into consiaeration what are the best interests of all peoples, of all nations, what will advance a better understanding, and what will more nearly ensure peace. I am one of those who' do not believe chat the peoples of the different countries can indefinitely carry the load which is being piled upon thorn, upon tho theory that everything must be .adjusted from now until doomsday in tho light of the results of the Woria War. Unless there is to bo a change of attitu3e, a change of view, a change of policy, from which we approach these public international matters I do not see how this burden is to be diminished. Ana there will be no change of view, there will be no change of policy, until we determine to adjust these matters ana to settle all controversies, not unaer the airection of .the past, but in the light of the present and the demands of the future. • The human family is entitled to be relievea of these war-made, policies. It is entitled to have present controversies settled upon the basis of justice, of reason, ana in the interest of men and women now living. *If the genius of Aeschylus and Shakespeare and Moliere all combined were to create a tragedy exhibiting all the horrors of infinite injustice, it could npt give even a glimpse of that unspeakable hell wherein a few men are permittea not only to bring upon those of their own aay ana generation great sacrifices and sorrow,- but to fasten upon coming generations the unpitying curse of carrying out and putting into execution tho decrees which they saw At to write in the;hour of hatred and jnattaess.