Milford chronicle., 1909-02-26
REASONS WHY OUR NAVY
SHOULD NOT Be ENLARGED

The following statement Of rea-
sons why our navy should not be
enlarged is issued with the endorse
ment Of large body OF the leading
men Of the country:
/. Because we have fought for
eight foes, English, Spanish and
Mexican only 9 years in the I2s
years since the Revolution. In
every foreign war we made the first
attack. With less danger from
attack than any other nation we
are now spending more for past war
and preparation for future war than
any other nation in the world
?. Because our extent Of coast
line has little relation to danger
from attack. The Second Hague
Conference has provided for i'm
munity from bombardment Of all
unfortifed towns and from levying
contributions by threats Of bonn
bardment. We should be safer
still if we reduced notifications, as
one Of our delegates to the
Hague has said.
Because The Hague Conference
also provided for arbitration Of dis
putes over concratual debts, there
by removing excuse for our keep
ing a navy to prevent forcible col
lection Of such debts of South
America to Europe.
4. Because a navy is less need
ed than ever to protect South
America as it is now perfectly cap
able Of a defensive alliance among
its nations to repel any wanton at
tack from outside. Reasons which
made the Monroe Doctrine neces-
sary when there was a Holly AL
lance and the weak South Amer
lean republics were uncOnnected
by telegraphs or railroads, have no
application when modern commun-
icatiOn, soon to include the Panama
Canal, and increased population,
wealth and mutual friendship make
them now far from eager to contin-
ne our Oyer-lOrdship. With the |
price of a new torpedo boat we
might secure by education and di-
plomacv a federation of South |
American States.
5. Because there is no danger |
from China, a peace-loving nation,
friendly to us Our return of the
indemnity has done more to promote
peace with her than anything else
could do. According to the testi-
mony of Ambassador Luke Wright,
of Hon. John w. Foster, Of Secre-
tary Taft and of over one hundred
missionaries to Japan, familiar with
her language, customs and politics,
there is not the slightest foundation
for the violent and frothy talk
which is emanating from a few
Americans about Japan, and is
the minds of millions Of
our uninformed citizens. Said Am
bassador Wright, "The talk of war
between this country and Japan,
isn't even respectable nonsense.
The one hundred missionaries say:
we desire to place on record our
profound appreciation of the kind
treatment which we experience at
the hands Of both government and
people. Our belief is that the al /
Ieged beligerent attitude Of the Jap s
enese does not represent the real /
of the people. We wish
10 bear testimony to the sobriety,
sense of international Justice and j
reedom from aggressive designs, c
by the great majority of
Japanese people. " Nothing could c
10 more to develop the opposite il
ceiling than the baseless assump-
ion and insulting statements pub 5
ished by certain irresponsible I
newspapers and military men. f
8. Because of an excessive, un- II
lealthy reliance on force in our O
ountry in recent years. (which calls o
ttention away from the real foes at E
ome to s-ppOsititious foreign enc p
MES. It's spirit fills the newspa- II