Looking forward : $b a dream of the United States of the Americas in 1999Bird, Arthur
Science
Looking forward : $b a dream of the United States of the Americas in 1999
Bird, Arthur
Twentieth century -- Forecasts; United States -- Civilization
The human mind recoiled with horror at the thought of war with such
fearful engines [Simply Wholesale Murder.] of destruction. In fact
war carried on with ærial dynamite ships was no longer worthy of being
called by that dignified name, it was simply a wholesale destruction
of lives and property. With strange inconsistency, the world in
1917 appeared to be willing to wage war on the "retail plan." It
was apparently willing to sacrifice human beings in terrible battles
fought between powerfully armed vessels, with heavy rifles and rapid
firing guns. The world was willing to slaughter life by one method,
yet it held in abhorrence these "death angels," which accomplished a
wholesale instead of a retail destruction of life and property. With
an inconsistency peculiarly its own, the world in 1917 appeared quite
willing that 50,000 men should be destroyed in a single battle by
rapid-firing guns, which could mow down a whole regiment at a time, but
the proposition to destroy an army of 50,000 men with one of the deadly
ærial warships, was everywhere regarded with horror. By this decision
the world placed itself in the position of a man who was willing to
be killed by the shot of a six-inch rifle, yet strongly objected on
the score of humanity to being riddled by the shell of a 14-inch rifle.
War at best is but a relic of barbarism, and, be it waged with ærial
warships, or submarine torpedoes, with Mauser rifles or smooth bore
guns, it accomplishes the same end; nations are plunged into ruin;
the family circle is broken; widows and orphans are left disconsolate.
Be this as it may, in the year 1924, a Congress of the leading nations
was held in the city of Washington, (then situated in the State of
Mexico,) and, as a result of its deliberations a solemn compact was
entered into, signed by the Ambassadors of every civilized nation, and
a treaty of the most [Ærial War Ships Prohibited.] binding character
was ratified, in which it was stipulated that under no conditions,
named or unnamed, would the use of ærial warships ever be permitted
as an instrument or medium for waging war among nations.
It was furthermore agreed and stipulated between these nations that if,
at any future period, any nation on the habitable globe should ever
permit itself to employ a system of ærial warships for the prosecution
of war, the other signatories of the treaty would make common cause
and combine in an attack against the offender. They would proceed to
invade its territory, destroy its cities and monuments, lay waste its
plains, obliterate its flag and name from the family of nations. The
remaining property of the violator of the treaty must also be seized
and sold, the proceeds to be donated to charitable deeds.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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