Page:Jay William Hudson - America's International Ideals (1915).djvu/16

 co-operation is re-established. The destruction of the complex system of economic interchange is disastrous enough: but the destruction of the spiritual sympathy and the common cultural ideals of mankind is infinitely worse; for, after all, the former is the expression of the latter.

In view of this assault upon the supremacy of reason in civilization America's message to Europe is direct and unequivocal. In terms of our own democracy and its appeal to reason, Americans should convince themselves and the rest of the world that there is such a thing as a logic in history: that no question is settled until it is settled rationally and in accordance with righteousness and justice: that might without right is futile, since if a question is settled by might alone, it will arise to confront civilization in some form even more crucial than before, to demand settlement by intelligence and not by force. Thus indirectly the American people are constrained to feel that part of the solution of Europe s age-long difficulties is the gradual institution among the people of those efficient auxiliaries of reason, free speech and universal suffrage,—in short, democracy. For the more democracy comes to itself, the more is it opposed to the war system: since the war system is itself opposed to democracy's reason and moreover is utterly against the fundamental interests of the common man. Democracy is essentially antithetical to war, and war is essentially incompatible with the genius of democracy.

In the first place, war and despotism go hand in hand. The spirit and principles of war are thoroughly despotic. Even a democracy is transformed into a qualified despotism in times of war. "With war," says John Quincy Adams, "comes a full power over the whole subject,