Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1912-06-10
COST OF ARMAMENT.

Professor Briscoe, in his Decora-
tion day Grafton, crystalized a
thought we'll known by many but re-
membered by few, in regard to the
cost of the civil war, in human life
and treasure, and the cost of main
tanning armed peace throughout the
world
He emphasized the stupendous fact
that the world cost of armament
maintenance if applied TO education
would build each year a national uni
versity at a cost of ten millions; a
university for each state costing one
million each; one hundred high
schools in each state; five normals
in each state; five technical schools
in each state; thirty agricultural
schools; and have enough left to add
to the common school funds of each
state one million dollars and pay for
every text book used by the children
of the nation.
And all of this treasure is eXpend-
ed for what? To maintain a peace
which could be as easily maintained
by a simple international world
agreement without a cent of cost.
Last fall when the writer came
through San Francisco, on his way
from southern California, there wee
lying in the bay there six American
battleships. They were veritable sea
monsters as well as sea masters. 1t
was cleaning and wash day and thou
sands of men moved in and out at
their tasks, and the great gun muz-
zles glistened in the sunlight. To
an American citizen it was an inspir-
ing scene. 1t was good to look upon
these great instruments of death and
think that through such our own
country had come to be the greatest
world power that had ever existed on
the face of the earth.
And then there came that other
thought: the gigantic expense con-
nected with its maintenance. How
perfectly useless it all was in thor
oughly civilized age, if, indeed, this
age could be called so, and how much
greater good this vast treasure
might be made to the world if in
vested in utensils of civilization in
stead of engines of death.
We thought of the barren wastes
we had crossed on our journey from
the middle west-what vast need of
treasure there was there-what
grand possibilities for reclaiming and
transforming these burning sands
into gardens of beneficence and JOY
how the waste waters of the noun
tains might be harnessed and made
to work for humanity on their way
to the sea. We had just visited the
magnificent Roosevelt dam at Phoe-
nix, and had witnessed the grand
metamorphose from desert to garden,
or three hundred thousand fertile
acres at an expense of but six mil
lions Of treasure. How a wise gov
eminent had turned these dollars
into an agency of everlasting good
to the nation.
We thought of the roads that
might be built, of the want thai
might be alleviated, of the vast posi-
bilities for education, that lay in this
wasted treasure-what might be ac-
complished in internal improvements
in this nation, in twenty short years,
| if this sum was turned to the true
uses of civil development, and we
said: God hasten the day when the
nations of the world grow wise
enough to shake off the habiliments
of barbarism and doff the true and
shining garb of civilization and hui
manity.
And let our own America, the
/ freest and most enlightened of all
nations, lead the way in this splendid
and gigantic world task.