| Show f 0 neutral nations suffering from war have right to raise voices for peace by U U S SENATOR WILLIAM J STONE of missouri since the war has almost from the beginning r resulted in continuing offensive attacks on the rights and dignity of this sovereignty and in inflicting incalculable injury to our national interests adlof which wo we have borne with patience because of our friendship for the nations nati ons involved it seems to me that after enduring these attacks and suffering these losses for nearly two and a half years we have a right bitout regard to any question of sympathy sampat lly or hu inanity humanity but solely on our own account and to safeguard our own interests to approach the combatants as a mutual friend and open negotiations with a view to the reestablish establish re ment of normal international conditions our relations to the combat are arc sueh such and our interests are so eo involved that I 1 think wo we have a right to speak a right so clear as to entitle us to speak without asking and without just offense we would not speak impertinently as intermeddlers intermeddle rs but as a friend who suffered grievously and innocently from the ru ruthless acts of war two families with a feud between them might so long as they kept the peace and observed the law resent any effort of an outsider to harmon lize them but if they should break forth into open war so as to disturb the general peace and visit universal harm upon the whole neighborhood the law abiding members of the community would have a right to call a halt without being guilty of impertinence why should not the same rule apply morally and legally to the family of nations I 1 cannot escape the view that a neutral nation suffering on so large la ia scale the evils of war is not obligated from any just point of view to stand helplessly aloof denied all right to offer even a suggestion until incited invited in to speak on the contrary I 1 hold that whenever a nation or any group of neutral nations becomes become the unoffending victim of any war it or they acting singly or in concert can as of right make representations to the nations at war to discuss the questions at issue and strive for a basis upon which honorable peace may be restored to the world |
