Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1846-05-07
Peace Department.
For the Green Mountain Fireman.
In time Of Peace prepare for War;


MeSSrs. Editors Few maxims, human or
divine, have commanded such veneration
Christian Governments as the one that hen,
this article. To such an extent have Great Brit
ain, France and the United States followed the
teachings of this doubtful proverb, that their
preparations for war in time of peace, cost more
than the entire profits of their united commerce
As the venerable name of Washington is made
to father this maxim, let US refer to him as the
true expounder of it, during his administration
Let us see how he prepared for war in time of
peace When that ilIustrious man acceded to
the Presidency, the country had Just emerged
from long, wasting war. The age was war
! like, and the moral power of commerce, and of
international intercourse, facilitated by steam,
had hardly come to be felt as ligament of
brotherhood between nations. The Democratic
principle had hardly been acknowledged as a
fixed fact in human government, and was never
more exposed to be crushed out of existence,
under the heel of European despotism, than du-
ring the first years of American independence.
The people were peeled and few, and scattered
over vast territory They numbered scarcely
four millions, young and old, bond and free
Powerful tribes of dsafected Indians surround
ed the republic with Gordon of dangerous foes.
If military defences render nation secure from
foreign invasion; or if nation is most exposed
when least able or prepared to resist foe, then
at no period of our national existence should
there have been greater preparations for war In
time Of peace. than durna he administration of
Washington, And we may assume that none
could have been more deeply impressed with the
Importance of such preparation, than he and
his compatriots Of the Revolution. Nor can
we suppose they withheld a dollar in their ex-
pendiures for this purpose, from any reluctance
of the people to vote adequate deences for then
country. We have no reason to believe that
5 the government under him would have appropr i
2 ated larger sum to the army and navy, if it;
revenue equalled that of the present time How
did he prepare for war in time of peace, SC
precarious" During the eight years ofhis ad
ministraton, and while surrounded by perks
y hich have long since ceased to exist, the whole
amount appropriated to the Military and Nava
Establishments, was $l0,925, 40 This sum
: in his view, met all the necessities of preparing
for war in time of peace He asked no more
to put the country in an attitude of defence, a
time when it was most exposed to invasion, /
the principle be true, that nation is most expo
0 sed when least able to resist.
u Now let us turn to another chapter of our ma
n tiona history and see how this maxim, attribu
II ted to Washington, has been carried out. Dur
+ ing the eight years ending with IS43, perio'
of profound peace in the civilized world, thi
: Government expended $l63,336,7l7 on tn
c Military and Naval Establishment 3! Taking
= the average population of the country durln
IS these eight years, it must have been nearly IL,
u 600 ,000-four times the number of the peopl
u under Westinghouse administration Can hi
: example, them sustain the present course OF thu
Il Government in preparing for war in time G
: peace Is rapidly increasing population al
u element of weakness or is country more eS
= posed to invasions in proportion as the numbe
q of its men aud means for defence increases
: would seem so from the course of our Govern
in ment; for while the population of the countr
III has multiplied itself by four, the appropriation