Amador ledger., 1900-10-05
MILITARIsM MAKES BIERCE
TIRED.
Ambrose Bierce, In the San Francisco
Examiner, Skins Alive the Bryan
Bogy of Militarism.

Bogy of Militarism.
The following extracts are taken from
caustic letter from the vitriolic pen of
Ambrose Bierce, published by the San
Francisco Examiner in its issue of Sum
day, September 16. 1t makes mighty
interesting reading
That the heart of the Examiner is not
in the work of electing Mr.. Bryan to
the presidency is evidenced by hun
dred suggestive facts, and permitting
Mr.. Bierce's telling article in derision
of Bryan's pet bogy of militarism to
appear in the Examiner may be cited as
proof.
Only the pertinent extracts from the
letter are taken. The impertinent sug-
gestions are left out for sake of brevity:
Those ''farseeing statesmen" who
find pleasure and seek profit in the
fear of "militarism " ought to derive
all unwelcome reinsurance from the war
in Luzon. For pretty long time now
the bulk of the dreaded United States
army, backed by the entire power of
the administration and having the
moral support of variously estimated
fraction of public opinion in this coun-
try, has been trying to overthrow the
liberties " of all inconsiderable, half
armed, ill-fed, moneyless and badly
commanded rabble of semi savages in
! that ungoverned isle without visible re-
suit. Our soldiers hold the ground
: that they stand on, as they did at the
beginning. Their commander has, as
their other commander had a year ago,
=" the situation we'll in hand" but now
as then the enemy is obtuse enough to
regard that as a merely academic ad-
vantage, and the war goes merrily on.
If the United States army cannot SUBJ
due the Tagalos in Luzon, no greater i'll
number than the population of any one
of several of our cities, what chance
would it have against such large and
powerful American tribes as the Web
feet, the Wolverines, the Hawkeyes,
Pukes, Hoosiers, Buckeyes, Suckers,
Whalebackers, Tarheels, Crackers,
! Coons and Smugwumps?
/
The truth is that the power of an
army operating in a hostile theatre of
war against determined but flexible
opposition-an opposition that knows
when to give way-is greatly overrated,
If fairly well armed, "embattled farm.
ers " and peasants are no mean antago-
nists for "the whiskered pandour and
the fierce hussar" of regular " estab-
lishment." A chief advantage of such
force is its entire innocence of "val-
Or" 1t has no military traditions to
maintain, no care for "glory," no
"chivalry," no shame in seeking and
keeping cover, no reluctance in taking
to its heels when hard pushed, no
"pomp and circumstance, no non
sense. 1t is altogether practical, devoid
of scruple and concerned to do what is
expedient. 1t fights as wild beasts
without thought of personal dignity,
without love of the sport-just cold
| blooded diligence in killing and cow
ardly cunning in getting away. 1t is
such force that the foolhardy British
have encountered, or tried to encounter,
in South Africa. That which the he
roic American has been vainly endeav-
oring to get himself "up against" in
Luzon is much the same. If the con-
| federates of our civil war had practiced
the same strategy and tactics with the
same cowardly intelligence they yonlq
have won the war and despised them
selves ever after.
To a country like this an army of
100, 900 men is nothing. Recalled from
the Orient to seat presidential usurper,
and landing at San Francisco, it would
never reach the Missouri river. Dis
patched from some central point to pre-
vent the people from arming and drill
ing-bah. The thought is too absurd.
Count the counties in the United States
and see how many men it could spare
| to occupy each. Number the towns big
enough TO have gun stores, and see how
many soldiers would be required to
keep the people from syu3ipg-though
virtually they are armed already. How
many iron workers and machine shops
would have to be seized to keep the Am
arican people from making cannon?
And what would the state militia be
doing? One hundred thousand men
peril to this republic
They could not hold the city of New
York. To our seventy five million peo-
pie an army of 100000 men not hay
ing the gift of ubiquity would be a
plaything. Fancy one soldier trying to
subdue an American township of seven.
ty-five inhabitants of whom every Sec
ond man owns a frearm and knows
how to use it.
And to give in miniature the condi-
tions that would obtain with an army
of one hundred thousand, as you can
not divide your soldier you may multi
ply your inhabitants to seven hundred
End fifty.
Gentlemen, gentlemen, you make me
unspeakably weary.
|