The serene confidence the world’s rulers have in the Society is easily seen in their frantic efforts to increase their armies and navies. They are bleeding their people white with taxes to make the enormously expensive preparations for what is likely to be the most vast and terrible butchering of the working class by the working class that has ever horrified mankind. Secretly the crowned and uncrowned ruling butchers of the world have nothing but contempt for the Conference at The Hague. Very naturally, however, they are all shrewd enough to make a large and beautiful profession of faith and desire for peace through the Conference, while at the same time they all “want for soldiers young men who are not only willing, but anxious to fight.” The man who inaugurated the Conference promptly scorned the Conference when he believed his interests would be served by a war with Japan. The famous French anti-militarist G. Hervé shrewdly pointed out the hopelessly weak place in the “authority” of the capitalist Hague Peace Court:[[237]]
“Governments so far are unanimous in withdrawing from The Hague Tribunal all questions affecting ‘the honor and vital interests of the country,’ a convenient formula permitting them to refuse arbitration when they please.”
And here is a frank admission:
“The Hague Tribunal has nothing compulsory about it; all its members are left in perfect freedom as to whether they submit questions to it or not.... In all treaties hitherto the Great Powers have retained power to withhold submission of questions affecting ‘their honor or vital interest.’”[[238]]
“Honor and vital interests,”—convenient phrase—a matter of business—cash and commerce, “plain dollars and cents,”—under capitalism.
It is of interest to note that another peace society, The Peace Society, founded in London in 1816, has been busy for almost a hundred years trying to mop up the blood, so to speak, never daring, or not knowing how, to uncover the fundamental cause of war.
In at least some respects a “Conference” of The Hague Peace Society is, itself, hopelessly ridiculous and, in appearance, wickedly insincere. For example, at the “Conference” of 1907 the delegates learnedly and laughably discussed the “Humanizing of War,”[[239]] and, after much brain-fagging effort, the delegates to the fakirs’ feast duly and heavily concluded as follows:
“It is especially prohibited to employ poison or poisoned arms.”
Well be it known:—
That kleptomaniacs’ periodical luncheon, or “thieves’ supper,” called The Hague Conference, would have no more work to do for the next thousand years, would never again have anything whatever to meet for, if all bullets and all swords and all bayonets used in all the armies were dipped in a deadly poison; for, in that case, the working class of the whole world would flatly refuse to volunteer or be drafted to serve in any war anywhere under any circumstances. And, of course, the soft-voiced, well-fed “humanizers of war” would not go to war—poison or no poison. The universal use of poisoned bullets, swords and bayonets would make war absolutely impossible, because the inauguration of such a policy would make the working class think.