OCR Text |
Show Henry A. Wise Wood on League of Nations ST. 'LOUIS, Dec. 30. In discussing the league of nations, according to the American idea before ii:'1 American Association for the Advancement ot Seic-nce. Henry A. Wise Wood of New-York, New-York, said: None of us can foretell ihe future, but all of us can review the past Some may fervently belies- thai warfare is preventable, but thfse ran .: admit that never in the history of the world have men been able to achieve more Mian an arm! d truce. "If our statute-: are powerless to precnt broken fq It li and violence among men, we ask ourselves how then are the lesj definite, and more Indifferently sanctioned provisions of a covenant of peace to prevent irreconcilable irrecon-cilable disagreement or broken faith and violence anion c nation. Thu law can punisii. n cannot prevent but International In-ternational punishment is war. and it is war that we wish to be rid of. "What folly therefore to erect any in'"rnational structure upon thc hypothesis hy-pothesis that B complete overthrow of the combs Ive nature ol man can be brought about my a company of men. : however wise, and warfare be by hem brought to an end for all lime. "If we turn io the many attempts ; that the idealist has made to deal with warfare as an evil we find 'hat h had failed in the past to perceive that wai Is a recurring phenomenon and as such is among thu inevitable occurrences of WM 'He forgets that the most enduring covenant of peace practically has fol-lowed fol-lowed every war of history, and that. War has followed every such peace.'.' |