The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-11-03
Democratic Candidate viii Make
Trip Across Connecticut To-
day Returning Tonight
JUDGE SHAKES HANDS WITH
THOUSANDS OF ADMIRERS
Carl schurz's Speech Is Also a Plea to
~ the independent Vote to Chas-
- n
y% tise the Adminstra-
tlon's Methods.

tary achievements, and its proneness to
impulsive action, and dramatic display.
"The imper 'alistic tendency armed with
that power will be all the more dangerous
when it is at the same time armed with
an ample supply of fighting material
ready for action. Until a very recent
period, we enjoyed the priceless bless
ing of living in perfect peace and secur-
ity, without bearing the burden of
large army and navy, costing untold mill
lions year; unique privilege of which
other nations, groaning under heavy mill
tary and naval expenditures, envied us
most heartily. Our imperalists now tell
us that this must cease to be so. Accord
ing to them, we must have much
larger army in proportion than before,
and our secretary of the navy assures
us that we must have the biggest navy
in the world, whatever the cost.
What Is the Reason?
"Have you ever seen anybody able to
give you an intelligent and satisfactory
reason why we must have these things?
Some say we must have them to protect
our commerce. l ask then, has there
ever been single moment since the year
1872 when our commerce suffered in the
least from the want of a big navy to pro-
tect 1t? Others say we must have il to
enforce the Monroe doctrine Was there
ever before or since our civil war a single
occasion when the Monroe doctrine failed,
SO to speak, to enforce itself without our
having big army or navy?
"Our worthy secretary of war, Governor
Taft, in a recent speech before the Union
League club illustrated-without thinking
of Ii l suppose-how unnecessary a big
army and navy are to us for any of these
purposes. He said:
Under the second Cleveland admins
tration we were by President Clevelands
message on the Venezuela boundary ques-
tion brought to the brink of war with
Great Britain. How many guns do you
think there were on the coast? There
was just one modern gum
After the laughter called forth by that
remark had subsided, Secretary Taft con-
tinued:
That laugh the republicans now re-
gret.
Why Any More Guns7
Now what was the reason that more
guns should be mounted? But did it oc-
cur to the secretary that the real and
far more important lesson was a very
different one? Only recall the circum-
stances under which that incident took
place. Great Britain engaged in boun-
dairy dispute with Venezuela, urged her
contention with characteristic positive
ness. The President of the United States
stepped in and substantially said to Great
Britain: Stop; you will not be permitted
to impose upon the little republic by main
strength without a word from this re-
public. The matter viii have to be ar
bitrated.'
Great Britain, the most powerful of the
seas. by far the greatest naval power In
the world, proud and touchy, with tory
government, supposed to be the special
champion of that pride, was certainly not
used to that sort of treatment. She prob
ably knew, too, that we had only one gun
mounted on a coast several thousand
miles long No wonder that a good many
people expected the British lion to break
out in warlike roar. But what did Great
Britain do. The British tory government
took President Cleveland's remonstrance
into respectful consideration and with
graceful kindness assented to the arbitra-
tion asked for
viii Avoid Serious Quarrel.
Now, what is the lesson of this? Not
that we need | ig armies and navies for
the defense of our rights. and the enforce
ment of our just demands but that
whether we are armed or unarmed, every
European power, even the greatest and
proudest will go to the extreme of pos
sible concession to avoid a serious quar-
rel with this republic Every sensible
man knows that there is not one of those
powers which entertains the slightest idea
of attacking us; that they will readily
comply with whatever we can decently
ask for, and that If we are to have any
conflict with any one of them, we shall
have to bring it on ourselves by unen-
durable provocation. The simple reason is
that, aside from what moral love of peace
they may cherish, they can hardly afford
to have a serious struggle with so re-
sourceful and pertinicious antagonist
as this republic, in view of the possibility
of dangerous complications at home.
"Our absolute safety from foreign ag-
gression, as every reasonable person will
admit, being thus assured, l may ask my
sober-minded countrymen fer what pur-
pose large armies and big navies-the
characteristic tool and favorite ornament
of empire-may be wanted by us? Being
entirely unnecessary for defense, is the
greatest navy in the world, or any big
navy, the cost of construction and main
tenance of which will run into the hum
dreds of millions, needed or intended for
any other purpose? The world abroad
will but too probably see in 1t design
of aggressive movements on our part.
Would Have Unfortunate Effect.
"This would have most unfortunate
effect Whether we entertain such plans
or not, and l am confident large ma
jority of the American people do not
entertain ths m-the world will always be
distrustful of our professions of peace
able disposition. However, some of our
citizens may be In favor of peace con-
crosses and arbitration courts, the world
will see in the building of large navies
utterly unnecessary for defence, threat
of armed aggression-a transformation Of
the old republican peace power into an
empire preparing for war. The inevitable
result will be an additional element of
apprehension and dsquiet among nations.
And thus the mad race in the augmenta-
tion of war forces which has become an
oppressive burden to mankind--the curse
of the age-will be stimulated by this re-
public instead of being discoun tenanced