The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1910-10-18
Getting Ready for the Empire.

Getting Ready for the Empire.
There is a scheme on foot in the
West. to place the national guard ON
the army salary list at rates Of from
5 to Is per cent of the regular wages.
To that end. conference of national
guard officers has just been held at
St. Louis. General Leonard Wood
was present and declared: II would
out-German the Germans by institu-
ting compulsory military education
in all Of the schools. Every boy IL
wears of age or more should be COM
PEELED to learn to use a, rifle as
.part of his school course. This
nilitarism is the natural result OF
the large increase in the army under
Republican legislation and it is
time to nip in the bud any further IN
crease unless we would be a nation OF
soldiers and saddled with the sup
port of an army that would exceed
even that of Germany. But General
Wood was not satisfied with turning
all the boys of the country into SOL
diers, for he further declared: Our
standing army of $4,000 men is far
too small, and Congress should. pro-
vide for its increase to at least l40.-
900 men.
General Wood, who is now the
comm ander-in-e chief of the United
States army, is the puppet OF fRoose-
yelt, having been forced to his pres
ent position over the heads OF scores
of more accomplished officers, and
would do Roosevelt's bidding. and
should Roosevelt attempt to establish
an Empire in place Of the Republic,
Wood would be the very man that
Roosevelt would want at the head Of
the army. Roosevelt and Wood may
be dreaming OF an Empire, with the
former as the strong man at It's head
and the latter as the strong man al
the head of the army. That may be
the reason of Woods advocacy or
turning all of our schools into mill
tary Schools, where our boys can be
made familiar with the arts OF war
and for wanting to double, our army,
when we have no use for the army
we now have.
who wants to seq the United
State an armed camp What service
Or . help to tie people would such all
army be-? Who would it fight? Con-:
slider the expense: It now costs
s1Ol,195,SS3 for the support OF the
present army. and it is proposed 10
more than double that enormous
SUM, if the scheme to pay the OIL.
cers and men of the national guard
is added to the cost Of nearly douo-
ling the regular army. It is time
for the mothers and the fathers or
the United States to decide whether
they want their boys to be enlisted
in the army without their, consent.
and that of course means their beil-
subject to the call for service 1t Is
unlikely that the ranking Major-Gen-
eral of the Army would publicly ad-
vance this army program unless the
President and the War Department
were back of 1t.
Just fancy the people of the United
State voluntarily doubling their
tax burdens and giving all their sons
as; possible food for powder. to sat
isfy the craze Of army officers and
Republican officials for, mllltarlsnt'
Once installed here, militarissm
would endure. and as In Europe,
about every taxpayer would have a
soldier on his back booted and spur
red to force the taxes out Of him.
The people of the United States
can do themselves better service by
striking u blow at uilitarism when
ever or wherever it raises its hid
eous head. Proctor TRULY said: SOL
diers always live in idleness or peril;
both are bad" This is true, and
people of the United States should
let it be known that they are not IN
favor of either of Gen. Woods prop
ositions. II Roosevelt imagines that
he is the man on horseback that we
have often heard of. he should be
taught better. That he has dreamed
OF an Empire with himself as ruler
in place OF our Republic we have
not the slightest doubt, but he would
have rude weakening should ne
attempt to realize his dream.