The National tribune., 1908-05-14
PREPARE FUR WAR IN TINE OF
&c Pt.xCE.

| Republics the President reannounced
the doctrine first pronounced by Presi-
dent Washington. that we in time of
peace should prepare for war. The
President said:
II believe din peace and arbitration.
and / also believeain keeping in such
trim that it shall be temptation to no.
! body to wrong susu0i
''If we build uu sthe American fleet
as We ought TO build it up, the other
party will not really desire war"
This is absolutely the correct doc
trine. With threats to none, with the
most profound goodwill to everybody,
with deep desire for peace which fills
the heart of every American man and
woman, yet we must keep ourselves in
such a shape that no Nation will have
the temptation to gain temporary ad-
vantage by the use of force. We have
such extensive and varied interests out
side of our own borders, and those in
terests must grow enormously with the
development of our commerce, that
there must always be a temptation on
the part of other Nations as hungry for
trade and prestige as we are, to try to
circumscribe our activities and inter-
fere with the legitimate expansion of
our commerce. We must have it under
stood, as England has had it under
stood for century in regard to her
subjects, that every American shipmas-
ter and merchant is secure in every
port of the world as he is at home.
Without this an expansion of trade will
be difficult if not impossible.
No matter what philandering peace
advocates may say. commerce is in some
sense a modified war. Each Nation
pushes its commerce as strongly as it
can, and there is continually behind
it some suggestion of force. In the
worlds commerce there is the same
restless pushing that there is in our
internal commerce. We are able, how
ever, to regulate this pushing at home
by law; that is, we can generally regu-
late. 1t is not an infrequent thing that
the Governors have to call out troops
to assure peace even in the disputes in
our law-governed country. How much
more necessary, therefore, is it in the
greater community of the world, where
each Nation is a law unto itself and
goes as far as its strength will carry it.
Andrew Carnegie at the same time
presented very strongly the opposite
view of the case when he said:
"The simple agreement between Great
Britain and the United States that upon
the inland seas in the north only two
tiny vessels, each with one 1S-pounder
gun, should patrol those waters, the
one fyihg the Union Jack and the other
the Stars and Stripes. the only shots
ever being fired being salutes express
sive of amity and friendship, makes
these vessels the most powerful vessels
of war, the true Dreadnoughts, since
there is nought to dread from them
A Nation has everything to dread from
gigantic armed Dreadnoughts; nothing
to dread from these true agents of
peace. q s'ib
When President Roosevelt is as old
as / am he' will take a more roseate
view of coming peace. / will make a
friendly compromise with him, and
agree that World peace may be some
distance away. But among ourselves,
the Nations of the Western World, Il
believe that permanent peace is near;
and we have territory in the Nations
represented in this union four times as
great as that of Europe"
While this is true, it is not the whole
truth. Our peace with Canada rests on
our good understanding with Great Brit
ain, and while the vessels on the Lakes
have not had occasion for nearly a.
hundred years to fire any hostile shots,
there had been some quite savage en-
counters upon those Lakes before that
time, and. several times the attitude of
made a hurry call for our ships of war
to protect our fishermen on the New
foundland banks. We have Immense
interests there, and the Newfoundland
ers have not only provoked war with
the United States, which it required
the last few years French men-of-war
have been hurried across the ocean to
take care of the French interests, and
the situation has become very grave.
Probably the quick presence of men-of-
war in all these instances has done
ing demonstrations that would have led
to war.
Unquestionably the great parade that
we have made of our armed strength
upon the waters of the world has been
of the greatest help toward the MAIN
tenance of peace as well as to the pro-
motion of a pleasant understanding
with our Latin neighbors to the south
This good work will continue in the
visits of our fleet to Australia, New
Zealand, Japan and China
The feet is not only magnificent
advertisement of our power and
strength, but it is splendid CONNER
cial venture in making people who
should trade with US fully aware of the
greatness and richness of our country.
Put upon a purely commercial basis, |
the fleet is an advertisement of the |
United States of precisely the same ma
ture that any .enterprising manufacture
er makes offihis store, his workshop or
the quality Jef his goods. 1t is some |
thing like a. wort td's fair, where every
man who is doing something of impor-
tance makesa show to call attention to
himself and attract customers by the
magnificence, of his exhibit.
FOR SENIOR VICE COMMANDER.
DIR. George Al, Hall. Executive Direc-