The Irish standard., 1905-07-22
THE DANGER THAT THREATENS

LORD Roberts, IN pubic speech de-
livered before the House of Lords, de-
clared that England is unprepared, in
military way, to maintain British
prestige. He maintains that the same
unpreparedness which appalled, Eng
land in it's recent war in South Africa
still exists. Lori Roberts is, no doubt,
right. England is unprepared for war
in the same sense that Russia was un-
prepared for war, and yet both these
nations were, prior to their recent
difficulties, thought to be the most
prepared nations on earth. The diff
ticulty with military preparedness is
that the very preparations that are
made usually unfit nation to with
stand great crisis. Russia had a gi-
gantic standing army. 1t had sup
plies in European Russia and Asiatic
Russia beyond the dream of any other
nation in entering upon a war. But,
the very conditions which military
preparedness, so-called, produces, are
the ones which defeat the armies in
the field. Russia in creating her
great army and in gathering her great
military stores created a system of
grating which made every other link
in the great chain weakness. Rus
sia did not need for numbers nor did
it need for supplies. but it greatly
needed men of character in the direc-
tion of it's army and its political af
fairs and honesty in its commissary.
tor prepared nation Russia was the
most wofully unprepared of any coun-
try that ever entered upon a war.
Japan was prepared for the present
war, but it's new situation as world
power will doubtless lead it to pre-.
pare for war just as the other So
called great nations have done in the
past, and those preparations will be
it's undoing.
There has been growing up in this
country since the Spanish war in Ger,
tain official quarters demand for a
larger army and greater navy. Presi-
lent Roosevelt, usually sound in his
Judgments and honest in his impulses,
as given away to this new demand.
wen those of us who live inland and
ar from the national capital, and con-
aeQuently are unused to naval and
military demonstrations, have been
impressed with this new spirit. The
| members of our state militia are just
a little more important and more
staggering than they used to be,
Those who have performed large and
extensive service in a civic way are
placed second to those who have per
formed small and unimportant mill
tary duties. Have we started in tc
prepare in military way in the same
sense that European countries pre-
pare? We hope not, for such prepara
tions will leave us unprepared II
trouble should ever come. Revelations
lof rottenness in public life teach us
I IudI we, dS q AoIAOAs uAC AOC yCI 1OAS
to perform the duties of peace cor
krectly. Public life is already honey
combed with dishonesty. II we had I
large army and large navy 1t woult
necessitate large class of bureau
Gratis whose only occupation in tim
of peace would be malicious scheminl
for positions and wealth. 1t woul
add also to our already class Of cor
ltracts who are ever ready to pre-
!: upon the public by obtaining larg
contracts for the furnishing Of SUI
plies and materials of all kinds.
We should prepare for war. II wa
must come, in the same way ths
those who founded and maintaine
the Republic prepared for war. Rel
.