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Show 7(7 77 And our Cliili'rC as a nation has conformed to a marked degree to these principlw. \\‘hile our history has not been free from war. 1 think it may be justly said it has been fl'KK' front wars of L‘\.~ltrlt, the great wars in which we have engaged have been wars tzv maintain some recognized principle of civil liberty‘ such as that tor whicht ttr revolutionary fathers struggled: to tnaintain our natit nal integrity, as in the (1.5 \\‘ar. or to champion the cause- mi an oppressed people. as in the $1latIish-American \\'ar. \\iar is alzhm‘rcnt to the Sense of civilized humanity, And yet mar is title it the Q'I'tlli fatt of the wwrld's history, and even qu‘llwww mum irliile gatherings like this are s ving fur internatitnial peace there Conic t» its from faraway 'l tzrkey echoes of w: and revolutiun hi the breaking down of an old regime and the forcible int; . ion of a new order of things. it is doubtless true that the old order was W1C of force and that the order which seeks to to be one oi comparative enlightenment and displace it prt . of ct ti]>llill‘tit,r:1étl government. lint the struggle wlticlt has had so happy an outcome in Turkey illustrates as well perhaps as any other the undeniable truth that the peace, which is worth havingr may need to he fought for and in: st Ctttilc‘ after, not before, the jllrl recognition t f rights and responsibilities. it is to this truth that history has sn niten owed the anomaly that the greatest friends or peace have been obliged by the untoward course of events in wage "(tine rvf the greatest wars. Young as we are as - have been taught that le ill, and our own history i furnishes Cite of the most str tfr and one of the most deplorable exannn les of this anomaly. l .pva , of course, of the Civil \\'ar and «if 1 he causes which led the benevolent and pacilic Lincoln to declare the (‘XlrlCllCC of war between the North and South. And yet Lincoln. a martyr to his. country and to the cause of liberty, entered upon that conflict with the declaratinn. "\Ve must not be enemies, but friends," waged it "with charity for all, witlt malice toward none." and almost with his latest br‘ath prayed that "the mighty scourge of war might spe-I lily pass aw: 1" And s-t the great general. Grant. the leader of our armies, the soldier "hit. so long: as war lasted. pursued the relentless policy of elusin" in upwn the enemy and crushing him by his superior ve expression. no doubt, to the deepest feeling: of his '; one utterance, "Let us have peace." In our own day we still happily find the great leaders of American thought and statesmanship the friends and champions of peace. There is none of us but remembers the reluctance of President McKinley to open hostilities with Spain and the matti- fcst pleasure with which he hailed the returtt of peace. And to no man in this generation, perhaps, is the cause of peace more indebted than to President Roosevelt, whose conspicuous services in the settlement of the Russoflapanese \Var led to his recognition throughout the world as ".l‘he Great Peacemaker." an honor which is prized by his country as one of its noblest distinctions. Undoubtedly our comparative isolation and freedom from entanglement in European and Asiatic affairs contributed mttclt to the success of l'resident Roosevelt's intervention, but so stead- fast has been our adherence to a non-aggressive policy. so thor- oughly alien is the idea of conquest or oppre. .‘ion to the American temperament and American statesmanship, that l cannot but believe that the entrance of the United States into world politics will wield a powerful influence itt favor of the peace program. This, I think, must be the general effect of our freer participation in world affairs and of the expansion of our commerce, every» where the precttrsor of friendly relations. quite aside from any effort we may put forth for peace promotion. ft is inspiringr to think that while all the silent fnrees of pr: if:ress are makingr for peace. the movement is given powerful momentum and definite direction, aim and purpose by great organ- izations like this which gather together the scattered forces and unite them in one mighty effort to pttt an end to war. to stamp out this areat scourge of the world, and to recognize in the setth« mettt of international difficulties the saute equitable and righteous principles of justice which obtain in the adjudication of diiheulties between man and titan. I trust that you will tind your sojourn in lllinnis a pleasant one, and that the labors of this Congress will cuntrilntte in a large measure to the arlvanetment of the cause of peace here and elsewhere. CHAIRMAN l'AtXl-TZ We had hoped this afternoon to have listened tn» lli\ Honor. Fred A. Russe, mayor of Chicago, but in his ah-ence l have the pleasure of presenting to you Mr. lidg‘ar .\. l'tanerrtft. |