Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-03-19
INSURANCE FOR PEACE.

The Chicago Inter Ocean protests
against the criticisms heard in con-
gress against the naval appropriations,
referring to these criticisms as the
usual proposal to save money by re-
fusing to pay proper insurance prem
ium for peace When reference is
made to the increase OF naval expen-
diture the Inter Ocean believes. some
consideration should be given to the
great increase Of the nations wealth.
1t is true, it admits, that in the last
Ave fiscal years our naval expend;-
ture increased from $103,000,000 a year
to $139,000,000 year. But in the
four years from 1900 to 1904 the
wealth of the United States increased
from $S8, 100000 to $107,000.000,
900. A million more year for the navy
to billion more year from wealth
is held to be no high price for security
AS an illustration 1t is pointed out that
a man who had but $4,000 in an ad-
dition to his factory would certainly
not regard one-tenth of one par cent,
vi $40 year, as a crushing addition
to his taxes for police protection. The
Inter Ocean cites q little history to
show its point. 1t says:
1t is always urged that because this
country Is not aggressive does not en-
gage in wars of conquest, 1t is in no
danger OF attack.
Those who so reason are deaf and
blind to the lessons of our own his
tory. There has been hardly a quarter
century of our existence in which we
have not been engaged in foreign
s1Ny Uyjfh no
Count forward from our war of indie
pendence, ending in 1888:
In little more than twenty-five
years we had the war of 1925 with
the affair with the Barbary States III.
tervening It was thirty-tWo years to
the Mexican war, but in the interval
war was threatened, and the Mexican
conflict, despite the misrepresenta-
lions Of New England historians, was
postponed nearly ten years by long
suffering Of insult and injury on the
part Of this country without precedent
In our own or any other great ma
TONS history.
Within fifty years after our last
war with England we escaped war
with England again solely because IN
the course of putting down domestic
Instruction we had built the most
powerful navy afoat.
Because 1t quickly disappeared 1t is
generally forgotten that the steam
navy of the United States was in
1867 the most powerful on the seas,
whereas the weight of the English and
French fighting fleet was still IN sail
ing vessels.
We were fortunate that England did
not accept Mr. Clevelands challenge
in the Venezuela affair, for our naval
weakness had made us the laughing
stock of other nations. All remember
how skeptical Europe was OF our abil-
ity to deal even with Spain on the
seas. And only our swift naval trt-
umph over Spain checked European
plans for intervention.
Trade rivalries, the great cause OF
war, are not becoming less acute. And
how our success in trade is resented is
shown by the proposal in the French
Senate for European combination
against the United States.
The safe position, and the only safe
position for the United States, as the
world stands today, the Inter Ocean
adds is with navy second in power
only to that of England. Anything
less is simply penny wise and pound
foolish. for it is the false economy OF
refusing to pay proper insurance
premium for security against attack
and war.