No doubt we all admit that the speech of John Brishen Waler, national president of the Friends of Peace, delivered at the convention of that organization, contained a great deal of truth. He said, among other things:

"In Europe there are now ten million men who were obliged to quit their peaceful occupations and engage in the killing of their brothers.....

"Fifty million women and children....sit in anxiety in their homes,....other millions of women and children roam endlessly in the devastated lands over which the war passed.....

"Friends of Peace, I ask you to stand up and make a silent vow to heaven that you will do your duty and put an end to the system of militarism which makes such 2misery possible.

"As long as the question of militarism is not solved, our civilization is in the balance.....

"There is one circumstance which makes the solution of that question possible at this time. It is the entry of women into political life. It is the women's vote which will liberate the world from this monster which takes away their husbands and sons and forces them to kill the husbands and sons of other women."

Everyone of us will gladly agree with these words. But these words do not tell the true purpose for which the Friends of Peace has been organized, nor what ends are followed by the majority of the members. That this was so was apparent when other speakers stepped up on the platform whose names indicate their German origin: Reverend D. C. Bergmeier of Mount Vernon, New York; Reverend Peter Vollmer of Dayton, Ohio; Henry Weissmann, etc.

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Reverend Bergmeier consigned Grey, Churchill, Asquith, Poincare, Delcasse, Izwolsky and the Czar to hell, but he forgot altogether to include, in his list of the damned, Wilhelm, Count Berchtold, and all the Germanic rulers and statesmen who have caused the war and made it so terrible that it appals the whole world. But it was Vollmer who let the cat out of the bag and admitted what he and his friends would like to achieve. He said that the export of arms and munitions must be forbidden, because it prolongs the war. Of course, perhaps it does. But it also diminishes the hopes for the Germans' victory and their domination of the whole world, including, sooner or later, America. Germany has introduced militarism and developed it to such a degree that it is now able to fight almost the whole world. In order to defeat militarism and abolish it, Germany must be defeated, and in order to bring about Germany's defeat, America must remain neutral and supply to the Allies all they need and can carry away, and must not abet Germany's aims by prohibiting the export of arms and munitions. If we are sorry now for those who are perishing on Europe's battlefields, we shall be sorry shortly for those who will be falling on American battlefields, if militarism be not abolished by Germany's defeat and a foundation laid for a 4more permanent, more secure peace, both in Europe and here.

The true attitude of the peculiar "friends of peace" was still more clearly expressed by Weissmann of New York, who manifested a great deal of satisfaction over the fact that President Wilson did not emerge victorious from the recent diplomatic exchange with the Kaiser, that the United States did not best Germany because Germany did not agree to stop the murdering attacks against peaceful travelers on transoceanic steamers, a proof of which may be seen in the recent assault of a German submarine on the steamship "Hesperian," which was on its way from England to the United States and therefore certainly did not have any ammunition on board. And the "friends of peace" broke out in jubilation when Weissmann read to them the text of a telegram advising that Germany is continuing her piratical activities and that the rift that may cause a war with the United States has not yet been adjusted. That jubilation gave away the fact that the "friends of peace" are wolves in sheep's clothing; it proved that they are not interested in culture and humaneness, but only in Germany's victory. The circumstance that Weissmann and others on the speakers' platform soon waved down 5this jubilation and quieted the crowd because they saw how plainly the demonstration revealed the true character of the "friends of peace," which they would like to keep secret in order to lure into their midst people who honestly desire peace and nothing but peace, does not alter the fact that the convention did break out in jubilation when it heard the news about the latest humiliation of the United States by Germany. The newspaper which promotes the interests of the Friends of Peace and is strongly pro-German, reports that the convention welcomed the news read to it by Weissmann, that "the White Star Steamship 'Hesperian' was sunk by a German submarine and seven hundred and fifty people perished," with "a roar of approval".

Such people are designating themselves by the exalted name of "friends of peace" What has proved unattainable by espionage, and baiting by Dernburgs, by bribing of Archibalds, what could not be achieved by undisguised, open, even hysterical German propaganda throughout the United States, is now being attempted by people hiding under the cloak of "friends of peace". They want to use as their tool real workers for peace, enthusiastic pacifists, zealous friends of the principle 6of universal peace, who are blind to the fact that they have gotten into the company of people to whom peace is indentical with the suppression of everything in the world that is not Germanic, and that they have been lured into that company for the sole purpose of helping militarism against peace, savagery against civilization, slave masters against freedom.

We do not doubt for a moment that the leaders of our Republic, our press, and the masses of our people, will not be deceived by these German tricks but will continue to pursue the path of genuine neutrality; that they will promote the best interests of the United States and all countries which are defending or trying to attain their liberty, and that they will not be influenced either by protestations or threats of the Germans or of people who are simple and silly enough to "get caught" by the German "peace" propaganda.