The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 1919 A WORLD DEMOCRACY.

Taihape Daily Times, 14 January 1919, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 1919 A WORLD DEMOCRACY.

(With which is incorporated The Tffiihspe Post t-Jid Walcsarlao News)..

Progress of the most beneficent and humane character has been prevented and oftimes long delayed owing to fear and apprehension of what conditions may ultimately develop therefrom; (govemmpnts preferring the devil they know to the devil they do not know. With experience of how society has been built up since history began, and even' from the first appearance of intelligent humans upon earth, it would be thought there should arise in the present stage of civilisation no super-difficulty in organising and instituting a League of Nations, chiefly for settling international disputes so as to render recourse to arms unnecessary and unlawful. In sosiety members of a family are governed, then the aggregation of families which make up a community with its law r s for local government; these communities, or towns and villages, are again controlled by the supreme or central government, such a government in several cases controlling many millions of people W'ho live wdthout fear of being molested, in security and unharmed so long as the law's evolved by the central authority are not, infringed. Yet there is fear that the "great serfgoverning nations of the earth cannot evolve a scheme, a basis of agreement upon which the banishment of wars might rest. Nations are quite willing to league themselves together but all are, extremely apprehensive of what may . result from the method of applying the power the League would exert. It is obvious that if Britain, America or any other nation is legally endowed .with the armies and force to compel any decision, that nation might become a super-state; a state looked up to and have prestige in matters generally not enjoyed by other states. If all governments retain armies and navies there is the possibility, depute ;the Utmost Itlijc League could do, of some ■ secretly coalescing their forces and by a coup d’etat seize supreme power and thereby accomplish what Prussian militarism failed to do. It is urged that no League could directly control, as the various delegates in session would develop into a more debating society; personal ambition in deliberation ■would undoubtedly override commonsense and justice on occasions. Therefore, the most favoured proposal for exercising the League’s jurisdiction is for it to appoint one particular State to act on its behalf. General Smuts has issued a pamphlet on the subject and he distinctly favours one State being deputed to act for the whole of the associated states. He docs not anticipate anything detrimental to othei nations in the Superstate suggestion, for he advocates that the people of various countries should have the right to elect the Power they prefer as an executive; they mist invest whatever Pow'cr :-s chosen with mandatory duties. General Smntz’s proposal for a practical and iil l dive League is tha* a Countl of five permanent members should be nominal .d by Britain, Franco, Italy, United States and Japan, and when Germany has a stable, permanent government she may nominate another permanent member. To these should be added four other members representing the lesser pow r ers, such as Spain, Hungary and Serbia. He is of opinion that no resolution of this Council should be valid unless passed by more than a two-third majority, and he contends that the meeting of the Peace Conference should be regarded as the first meeting of the League. There is not wanting evidence in plenty that the intelligence of

the whole civilised world is centred on the statesmen who have been given, by the complete Allied victory, an un- ! prcccdentcd opportunity to exercise ■ their statesmanship in making wars very difficult in the future, if they cannot render them impossible for ever. The whole civilised world is expecting from Allied statesmen the inauguration of a long warlcss era, and whatever difficulties are placed in the way the world will not be disappointed. In any scheme of world government {.hah puay be (evolved there is almost sure to be roughnesses to be subsequently smoothed. but because perfection may not be possible at the commencement it must be no excuse for neglecting so momcnous an opportunity altogether. We

say unhesitatingly that militarism is the greatest curse inflicted on mankind; it not only destroys by fire and sword, but the huge gatherings of men into insanitary camps are hotbeds of plague, the germs of which are broadcasted over the whole world destroying the innocent and helpless peoples who are not at war as well as the peoples who are. Militarism absorbs more of the labour of the world than would be required to furnish a good living wage to everyman, and would enable every woman and child to live in plenty and contentment. The abandonment of militarism would release millions of the flower of the manhood of the world to join the great army of producers, not only producing riches for themselves, but still further adding to the great fotal. Munition factories and gun factories would be turned into farm implement works. General Smutz says conscription is the taproot of militarism, and unless the conscription taproot is cut away completely the labours of forming a League of Nations are in vain. Members of the (League of Nations must bind themselves not to go to war until the Council has arbitrated on the dispute, and this agreement must be guaranteed by force and an economic and financial boycott. Sooner or later this world will be controlled by a single executive; it was within an ace of falling under the domination of Prussian militarism. Of the many efforts made for kingship of the world, none has been so near accomplishment as that put forward by the Kaiser. Now, however, the opportunity has arisen for the suppression of militarism and the advent of a world democracy, in which every man and woman shall have a voice in saying who shall rule; a democracy of peace in which the worn out glories of war ’ shall have no part. Heptarchies have merged into kingdoms in quest of peace and have found it; victories of peace over anarchy have been achieved by national compacts, and now that the portals of the world arc wide open to admit the greatest possible victory for . peace; a victory in which peace achieves control of the world and kills militarism, arc the world’s statesmen to be allowed to hesitate to enter for fear that a super-state bogey, or a mere debating society may possibly bo hid therein? Consult the Statute books of every country under the sun and. we find that the intention of all law is unquestionably peace. Then, is {the greatest o£ all crime to eventually triumph over the . intention and purpose of all law? Peace must be the constitutional propensity of the gregarious human or he could not have progressed to his present state of civilisation. Laws imposing military service on peoples are tentacles of that greatest monster, war. Among nations police are needed to keep down incorrigibles as they are needed to maintain order in communities, and now that the highest proclivities and desires of civilisation are within roach, it is unbelievable that a League of Nations to secure a world demo-w-cracy and conquest of the world by peace will not be consummated.