To establish any mode to abolish war, however advantageous it might be to Nations, would be to take from such Government the most lucrative of its branches.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
War is a racket. It always has been... A few profit - and the many pay. But there is a way to stop it. You can't end it by disarmament conferences. You can't eliminate it by peace parleys at Geneva. Well-meaning but impractical groups can't wipe it out by resolutions. It can be smashed effectively only by taking the profit out of war.
In particular, the efforts to reestablish peace after the World War have been directed toward the formation of states and the regulation of their frontiers according to a consciously national program.
I have a scheme for stopping war. It's this - no nation is allowed to enter a war till they have paid for the last one.
War is a racket. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.
Governments go to war directly or by proxy without declaring war. Force, or threat of force, are constantly used to dominate other countries.
During practically all of my public life, I have been a sincere advocate of an agreement between the leading nations of the world to set up all the necessary international machinery that would bring about a practical abolition of war between civilized nations.
That is the best Government, which best provides for war.
There is no avoiding war; it can only be postponed to the advantage of others.
War can only be abolished through war, and in order to get rid of the gun it is necessary to take up the gun.
Lightly armed nations can move toward war just as easily as those which are armed to the teeth, and they will do so if the usual causes of war are not removed.