NO MORE WAR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18676, 4 October 1922, Page 5

NO MORE WAR

DEMONSTRATION IN HYDE PARK. (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, August 4. During the weak that has passed delegates from 20 nations have been sitting,each day to consider the best means of securing peace. Sympathetic messages from the King and tlie Prime Minister were read by London's Chief Magistrate at the opening session of this Congress at the Mansion House, the Churches wore officially represented, and,the Minister of Education expressed convictions which were emphasised by the Prime Minister in. his notable speech to the Free Churchmen. "The organisers of this, the 22nd International Peace Congress (writes one of the delegates in the Morning Post) are tin- , doubtfully “Men not without hope,” for it;, was with almost pathetic interest that ,1. noted on a banner displayed at their gathering the dates, of former Peace Congresses as long ago as London, 1843; Paris,1840; Frankfort, 1850; and many of the dele-' gates attending this last week have grown - , old in a movement in which formerly they were generally designated as “peace cranks.’*.. The main note of the Congress, debate# B centred round two problems—the limitation jj of armaments and the reform and popular control of diplomacy; but throughout tha discussions one could not help feeling JJrst-r the cause which each, deiegote had at heart’ was being heavily discounted by the violence, of extremists and their impracticable ideals. There was an undue preponderance of.' men and women of the old militant SuffraA gette and the conscientious-objector people with fads of their own, who disregarded the main objective of a tive peace policy. All were agreed, for instance. as to the economic advantages of a limitation of armaments; but as a means.’ of preventing war “limitation” was regarded': by many as a useless palliative, and should : be replaced by “total abolition. As fertile question of future diplomacy, the de-, bates were practically a setting forth 0f,,, the policy of the “Union of DemocraticControl.” Strangely enough, I found that,, the German delegates, with whom I had, several conversations, were more reasonable and sound on these two main questions than either the British or French delegates. They were all members of the "German Peace Society,” and thoroughly convinced that the. most potent -weapon against war was the systematic education of the people—far more : effective than the elimination of armaments —against the “will to war.” Public opinion: must be saturated with the doctrines’, of; peace. For this reason thay regard the - German student class as the daggerin Germany—for they are militarist to, &-■ man and are being educated in that direction bv their teachers and leaders. It is, to be hoped, therefore, that at the next, Peace Congress the more moderate anq practical elements will be induced to attend and to jolti in these discussions and, to make the congress what it really should, ho ” ■, PEACE PROCESSIONb. . Processions from 14 different centres iil,. London converged at Hyde Park on. Saturr, daj - afternoon for a “No More War ttav,., rnonstration. Representatives of Labour, the unemployed, the women’s organisations, the churches, the .League of Nations Union, and, many other bodies took part. Two processions formed up on the Em*-, bankment. These comprised sections of the I UP., Young. the. War, Resistance Society, the “Kibbokift” Scouts, branches of the unemployed, the Womens International League, the Women s Cooperative Guild, and the National Council of. Women of Great Britain and Ireland. A. ’ number of girls from Eccleston Square Guild 1 House were dressed in white, and were K’-»-hy a girl carrying a bunch of white lilies;’’ The procession was accompanied, by bands’ of ex-service men and the Boys’ Life Brigade. Amon" the legends on the banners carried were “No More War Toys for Children” andV ‘‘Capitalism Means War—and War is Hell. ■- As one part of the procession passed the Cenotaph hats were doffed, and banners dipped, while the women taking part placed flowers at the foot. A young man and a young woman stood in front of the Cenotaph, while the demonstration filed past, holding, a large white banner inscribed, “Salutationl to the Fallen. , Never Again.” ’ In Hyde Park 50 speakers addressed thp crowd from 12 platforms in the form of a ; semi-circle. Amongst the many speakers wasMiss Maude Hoyden, who said that people did not sufficiently realise that peace took as much making as war. To want peace was , mot enough. It was useless to blame the Government; we had the Government wa chose and the one wo deserved. The Prime Minister was only looking for a lead, and they did not give it to him. At each of the platforms a resolution carried enthusiastically pledging co-operati«S with similar movements in Europe an<3 America directed to guarantee that tier* ; should be no more war, by perfecting inter-,-' national organisation for the removal, of the’*, causes of war, the settlement of disputes, and the promotion of international, lion and by developing an international sene a • of solidarity which would make war impossible. '