Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1908-04-15
Speak Softly and OqUn Mighty
Macy Adn1onshes Mr. Roosebelt

intention of doing wrong ourselves.
Yet 1t Is idle TO assume and from the
standpoint of national interest and
honor It is mischicvuus folly for any
statesman to assume, that this world
has yet reached the stage, or has come
within measurable distance of the
stage, when a proud nation, jealous
Of its honor and conscious of itN great
mission in the world, can be content
to rely for peace upon the forhear-
ance of other powers 1t viii be
equally foolish to rely upon each of
them possessing at all times, and un-
dor all circumstances and prOvuca-
tions an altruistie regard for the
rights of others, Those who hold this
view are blind Indeed to all that has
gone on before their eyes in the world
at large, They are blind To what has
happened in China, in Turkey in the
Spanish possessions, In Central and
South Africa, during the last dozen
years For centuries China has eulti-
waited the very spirit which our own
peace-at-anN- price-men wish this
country to adopt For centuries China
has refused to provide military forces
and has treated the career OF the sol
dier as inferior in honor and regard
to the career of the merchant or of
the man of letters. There never has
been 50 large an empire which for SO
long a time has SO rcsolutely pro-
Ceeded on the theory Of doing away
with what Is called militarism"
Whether the result has been happy
in Internal affairs, ! need not dis
Cuss, All the reformcrs and far
sighted patriots in the Chinese en-
pire are at present seeking U may
add, with our hearty good Wild for a
radical and far-reaching reform in in
ternal affairs. In external affairs the
policy has resulted in various other
nations now holding large portions Of
Chinese territory while there Is a
very acute fear In China lest the en-
piTe, because Of It's defensClessuess
be exposed to absolute dismembcr-
ment and its well wishers are able to
help it only in small measure be
cause no nation can help any other
unless that other can help itself,
The state department is continually
appealed TO to interfere on behalf of
peoples and nationalites who Insist
that they are suffering from opprcs-
sion-now Jews in one country, now
Christians In another now black men
said to be oppressed by white men In
Africa. Armenians Koreans, Firms.
Poles, representatives Of all, appeal at
times to this government All Of this
oppression Is alleged to exist in time
Of peace; and frequently, although by
no means always, it Is alleged to oc-
cur at the hands of people who are
not very formidable in a military
sense. In some cases the accusations
Of oppression and wrong doing are |
doubtless ill-fOunded. In others they |
are well founded and in certain cases
the most appalling loss Of life Is |
a buta AFGtITTR1 led |
with frightful cruelty, II Is not with |
In our province to decide which side |
has been right and which has been |
wrong in all or in any Of these con- |
/ am now referring to the |
loss of life. 1t is probably cOnsoVa- |
i've statement to say that within the |
last twelve years, in periods Of pro-
'uund peace and not as a result Of |
war, maasaCres ana butchcries have |
in which more lives of men, .
women and children have been lost .
han in any single great war since the
close of the NapOleoniC struggles, To |
my public man who knows the COM
llaintS continually made to the state |
department., there Is an element OF
grim tragedy in the claim that the
imc has gone by when weak nations
~ peoples can be oppressed by those
Who are stronger without arousinE ef-
ectiye protests from other strong in
erests. Even this stlll fresh in the
mind Of every thinking man. shows
hat neither arbitration nor amy other
levice can as yet be invoked to pre-
,ent the gravost and most terrible
wrong doing to peoples who are either
eW In numbers, or who, If numerous,
rave lost the first ana most important .i
# national virtues the capacity for