6io THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



promotion of war, drunkenness and disease. The engineering corps, 

 the health service and the commissiariat are the most important factors 

 in modern warfare. Engineers, health officers, inspectors of food and 

 others employed by the nation, the states and the municipalities should 

 be at the same time officers in the army and those under them enlisted 

 men. A well-organized and efficient army for defense would thus be 

 maintained at comparatively small expense and be an institution for 

 education instead of for demoralization. The navy should be converted 

 into a merchant marine, carrying a postal, express, freight and passen- 

 ger service to every port in the world. At the cost of an idle navy five 

 to ten times as many ships and men could be maintained and employed 

 in useful work. In case of war swift ships and experienced men would 

 win over dreadnoughts. Shipyards and factories for armaments and 

 ammunition should be owned by the nation and manned by officers 

 and enlisted men. The army and the navy can be made self-supporting 

 nearly as easily as the postoffice. Fortunately they may be regarded as 

 temporary institutions. 



9. Limitation of foreign treaties and representatives. No inter- 

 ference with foreign nations^ except for liumaniiarian reasorm. The 

 submission of all i7iternational questions to arbitration. We are warned 

 against entangling alliances; all treaties are such to a certain extent, 

 and in most cases are at present useless and dangerous, though inter- 

 national courts and agreements may in the future become desirable. 

 Let us be just and generous to all nations and to all foreigners, and 

 trust them to be the same to us. If they are not, those who see fit to 

 deal with them should take the risks. Missionaries, traders and 

 travelers should be subject to the laws and ways of the lands to which 

 they go. Secret diplomacy has no place in a democracy; the social 

 snobbery of an ambassador is disgusting; his political office is made 

 useless by the cable. Arbitration treaties are unnecessary ; but we should 

 be ready to submit all questions to arbitration. There should be no 

 interference with foreign affairs, except for clear humanitarian reasons, 

 approved by neutral and disinterested nations. We shall be better ojff 

 if South America is peopled by Germans and Eussians as well as by 

 Spaniards, Portuguese and Indians. War is avoided by delay. It 

 should not be possible for the president to involve the nation in war, 

 and no war except for defense should be undertaken before the ques- 

 tion has been submitted to a plebiscite vote and carried by a majority 

 exceeding one half of the population. 



10. Colonies and dependencies to be held only for the benefit of the 

 peoples concerned and with their consent. The vigorous and prolific 

 races will supplant those which are decadent; but wars of conquest are 

 now equally injurious to the conqueror and to the conquered. In the 

 past it was necessary for an expanding population to subdue savage 



