The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-05-24
WAR STRENGTH FOR SAFETY.

those who arc agllatlnG In the peace
movement, it is common TO say, and
VIC note an echo Of it stated in com
monplaco way in the Deseret News,
that Conservative peace friends do
not ignore the facts as they exist
They do not ask for the disbanding of
the armies all at once, OF the sinking
Of the navjes into the depths of the
sea- And further, that "they do
strive to convert all the world to the
truth that war is not, and should not
be a necessary evil, any more than Is
murder for the purpose of avcnging
private wrongs. - All of which has
an air of plausibility about 1T, and no
one would say word against IT If that
were All that the peace agitators do
But it is not all. Without any rec
ognition of facts as they exist, and re-
gardless Of the peril to the country
that is involved (and contnlng the
logic of the situation 10 this country,
we find the peace advocates constantly
clamoriug for reduction of TIC army
and fighting every proposed increase
of our military force. 1t is not the
ory that is here involved, but prac-
tical fact. The peace propagandists are
always striving TO reduce the size of
our army and TO render the country as
defenseless as possible in the face OF
attack, and to render the warmaking as
difficult as possible in case any trouble
arises. The same tactics are pursued
with respect to the navy. The peace
propagandists are insistent and con
stant in depunciation of every PROPOSE
tion to increase the navy and to insure
the defense of our coasts from any at
tacking foe, Wherever they can in
duce members of Congress TO vote
against such increase, they do so.
1t is because of these practical acts
of the peace propagandists and because
it is necessary to overcome objections
all the time whenever 1T is proposed to
render this country secure from attack
by providing the necessary armament
on land and on sea to insure the
strength that will show such attack to
be futile and so prevent 1T, that objec-
tion is made TO this extreme form of
the peace movement.
1t is argued with some plausibllity
by the peace men, that unless some ma
tion takes the lead in disarmament or
in lessening its military and naval
forces, the peace programme can make
no progress. But this argument loses
~, - ba hot
does thus strip itself and render easy
the aggressions of any militant foe,
imperils It's own integrity and stabili-
ty. it is the nation that disarms or
that begins the process of disarmament
that makes itself the prey of the rapa-
cious.
China is a striking example to the
world of the fate Of nation that de"
pends upon argument and the Justice
of its cause to maintain It's case and its
integrity. There have never been any
meaner aggressions upon nation or
upon a people than those made upon
China, merely because she was defense
less, The opium war conducted by
Great Britain to compel China TO ac-
cept the shipments of the product of the
poppy from India was one of the most
disgraceful and cruel aggressions ever
committed by a civilized nation upon
a helpless victim. The seizure of kiao
Chau by the Emperor of Germany was
an example of rapacious, militant greed
exercised against the Chinese Empire
simply and solely because that empire
was not able TO defend itself. Let ono
imagine for a moment, the Emperor of
Germany, or the ruler of any other ma
ton, undertaking a like seizure of Jap.
anese territory Such an aggression or
seizure is unthinkabc. Why? Not be-
cause the same would not be as iusti6a-
BILE in the case of Japan as in the case
of China; but simply because all ma
n spirited nation and is able TO fight
back. Russia, deceived by her dealings
with defenseless China, learned an
amazing lesson when she undertook to
trife with Japan, as she had done so
long with China.
The two cases and the two nations
represent precisely the situation with
respect to the peace propaganda, and
the proposition that every nation must
be able 10 defend itself if il wishes TO
be respected, TO preserve its integri.
ty, and to command peace. The peace
propaganda is merely a theory, sem
timent, In our own practical affairs
the demand is, and with this demand
the peace propagandists should not in
terfere as they do, for strong military
and naval force, sufficient to warn off
all intruders and make it not only per
ilous but absolutely hopeless to be-
gin an attack upon the United States.