The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-11-12
A DRIFT TOWARD MILITARIsM.

|
| the present administration.
In this connection it is worth while
to observe that militarism is disease
| the elimination Of which has been much
the same in all ages and in all coun-
triPs--always the concentration of pow
err in the hands Of the governing few
of the many. And however for the
| time being the country which is
deeply infected may seem to flourish, the
end is the inevitable collapse of gov
eminent and of commerce.
OF course nobody contends that with
an army of 100000 men all the evils
of militarism would be manifest in this
! country, as in Germany. As such things
go it can support such an army with
comparative ease. But who can guaran-
tee that the highwater mark of the
army will remain for long at 100000
| or even at 100000 mem? The probabii-
ties are rather ON the other side. The
danger lies not in the present size OF the
army but with the military policy whose
beginning we are now observing and the
course of which win be, according to
all past experience, a continual increase
of the military until The soldier over
shadows the civilian, until the drones
in the hive consume the substance of
the workers, and the nation becomes a
destructive instead of a constructive
force in the worlds economy, a pyramid
poised ON its apex and ready to topple
over to its own ruin and the ruin or
others. Such is Germany today, such
is France, and such has been every
country in the worlds history that has
put the soldier above the citizen.
He is a poor student of contemporary
events who can not see that even now
steps are being taken that viii require
of this country at least as large milf
tary establishment in the near future az
that of England. We must have suGh
an establishment as will enable us TO
defend our weakest point against the
strongest enemy that may attack it,
or run the risk of humiliation and de-
feat. In other words the need Of an
army in the Philippines will not be
alone to keep the sullen natives in sub
lection when they have been conquered
but to defend the islands against possi-
Bile aggression from without. There must
be such a number of battleships at Ma
Mia as will be able to meet the fleets
of the European powers in Asiatic W.T.
ters and such an army as can prevent
the landing of hostile troops if the navy
shall be worsted That this is 10 be
the policy is sufficiently clear from the
number of warships recently sent to
Manila. Does ANYBODY suppose that they
are there to fight the Fihpinos, who have
no navy and who keep well out of
reach of the guns of ours? They are
there to guard against contingency and
the need Of them would be almost us
strong were there no war with the Fill
pinos.
The reasons of a strong armament in
the East, however, do net end with the
necessity for being in a position to de-
fend the Philippines, for our new policy
does not end with the pacifcation and
permanent occupation of those islands.
Washington is also beginning to talk
about a sphere Of influence and main
tanning an open door" in China. In
other words the United States is TO
have a part in the vexatious mudGle
known as the Eastern question" and
must have in the East a force common
surate with its new pretensions If
France, Germany, or Russia judgments
their squadrons on the Asiatic STATION
the United States must do likewise. If
Russia follows up the completion If :he
Irans-Siberian Railway by massing
troops at Port Arthur and her designs
are obscure, more troops viii have 10 he
sent to the Philippines to guard against
a possible surprise.
But W1tn our enlargement III the AZ
fairs of the East and the consequent
imminent possibility of foreign war
at any time, there will have to be
readiness to meet such eventualities ar
home We shall have not only to be
ready to defend Manila, but to defend
New York, San Francisco, Honolulu
and Ponce Does anybody suppose that
100000 men will be adequate for this pnf-
pose unless the navy shall be vastly I'M
creased? Here will be an ever ready
pretext for asking an increase of the
army and navy and when the fact is
pointed out that such a course is inn
poverishing the treasury, piling up taxes
and endangering the peace, liberty and
stability of the country the ever ready |
reply will Ire the specious and shallow |
imterrogatory of the demagogue, Who |
win haul down the fagY' Meantime |
excuses will be found for hauling up the
flag where it has no business to be, the |
II.