The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-03-08
BROKEN LINKS
0S sanoea Varnum Thomas WeAkno~n and Writer
oeFuniak Springs, Florida

race will clash, and the first wal
VIII be between the United States
and Japan. This will be followed by
a general war between the white and
the yellow. races, unless by the build.
ing up of great navy this country
| shows Japan the foolishness of en-
gas1ng in war with the United
States.
THE Japanese have educated their
people to hate Americans, and the
| people are only awaiting the govern
| mentS signal To go to war-the gov
| eminent is awaiting only a pretext. =
Now read the words of the distin-
gnshed Japanese minister, Baron
akahira, viii has just reached this
country:
1T is impossible for a man of or
| binary sanity to think Of a war be
| tween two powers like ours. in spite
| of the sincere friendship actually ex-
| listing between them. 1t is a crime
against humanity, against civilization,
| against the well-being of the whole
mankind. Such a war, if ever
fought, would be the most inhunlan
| event of the, worlds history Our
people, at least, do not think of the
possibility of such an unfortunate
event"
Perhaps one of the-best up to-date
| emetics is the frothing of our limoges
over the approaching war with ia
pan" Happily they have lost inf1u-
ence over our people burt they still
continue to shame us before other
people
Justice Brewer, Of the supreme
court, throws CLEAN Of sanity over
the situation when he says: Instead
OF spending millions to build UP a
mighty navy the United States should
be paying the national debt-a debt
! that has not been lessened since the
upbuilding Of the navy began twelve
years ago." 49,.
The governments, method of deal
| ing with our national debt is a mys-
terry to me. | suppose it is because
l am a woman and not able to under
stand great things. / was taught
that debt is a debt until it is paid:
that it is something to be avoided,
but if for any reason it must be in
CURED then acancel it as rapidly as
possible. But there my fathers in
structiOn ceased. He did not speak
of national debts and explain how diff
ferent it was for a people to assume
an obligation than for an individual.
Hence this broader knowledge came
slowly from observation.
And / observe that it is a great
and glorious thing for a nation to get
in debt. The heavier the Indebted
ness, the stronger the nation. Tur-
key, for her inhuman and brutal
treatment of her people or people of
other faiths, forfeited every right to
an existence, but because of her ma
tiOnal debt she was not only saved
from dismemberment but is actually
immune from punishment.
EnglishGnen will strut up the
Stand pulled to the gill and declare
that the strength of the dominion
rests on the national debt, r-'---o
debt breeds fear National debt be-
gets faith: private debt leads back to
incompetency and failure. Public
debt be5peaks great financiering and
stability, makes more loyal citizens
and drawer soldiers. You see / have
the lingo correct, but lack ability to
comprehend it.
If you look back in the files of
magazines late in the eighties you
will find innumerable articles on
What Shall We do With Our Sur
pluS?" Statesmen. members of cabi-
net, prospective presidents, diplomats
railroad kings, and steel magnates
to say nothing of the army OF bankers
who knew everything about finances
by divine right-all were wracking
and adding their gray matter over
that momentoTS question. Any child
of ten would have said, pay your
debts" Any child of fifteen would
have added. IF they are due; if not
put. the money at interest and pay
when they do mature"
But no. Not one ever limited at
such an idotic plan. There was
some talk of refunding the debt, but
never a word about paying it Well,
time went on, Cleveland went out
and Harrison came in. and congress
men, little and big, were straining
their apparel trying to reduce the
surplus" and they did it when there
was something of another kind on
the other side of the ledger to reduce.
And now after twelve years. accord
ing to Justice Brewer, six years sof
which has been the most prosperous
in history, the debt remains intact.
But then. what does a woman. or
supreme justice know OF the mighty
purposes of state?
This l know, would put national
highways in every state of the
Union. In times like these. every
unemployed workman could be earn
ing his wage on public improvements.
/ would stop interest at every posi-
BILE time l would teach the people
that debts are the same the world
over, always a burden, always TO be
avoided when possible. | would edu-
cate the people to rejoice over every
matured and Cancelled bond and to