The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-04-01

Our Secretary Of State Stands With
Winston Churchill

some one mas SAID Qere-l DelleVe
twas the distinguished president Of
Columbia university-that. when
ever there is an appropriation to be
made for battleships. IT is preceded
byvociferous expression OF a profit
able kind OF patriotism-the spend
ing of money for battleshlps. What
he said is so. We have navy league
In this country; they have one in
Germany; they have one IN Great
Britain, aud they have che IN France.
These navy leagues play one nation
against the other. Whenever we
build battleship. the picture Of II is
published In the literature Of all the
other countries, and the building OF
that battleship is urged as reason
why all the other nations should
build at least one more. and possibly
two. Then. when they get scared
and build. we get the picture over
here, and We must build another.
That is exactly what goes on and
what has been going on for years.
We are expected to get scared when
ever another nation builds a abttle-
ship, and then We are TO build two
and scare them until they build three
and We get scared again and build
four That is exactly what is going
on, and ! am satisfied that President
Butler put his finger upon the cause.
II is this profitable patriotism that
finds money in the building OF ships
and getting ready for war; and then.
as soon as we get our ships built, the
very same forces will forget their pa
triotism and, IL they get chance.
build ships for other nations to beat
our ships | have sometimes used
this illustration: Suppose there was
a large lake and suppose that there
were half a dozen landowners, with
their lands bordering on this lake. lv
| ing peaceably together. without
| trouble or sign OF trouble. A man
who builds ships goes TO one Of them
and says: You are very foolish;
you are living here with no pro-
lection whatever. Don't you know
that any of these men around you
might build a battleship and come
here. and you are absolutely defense
less? Now let me build a ship for
you. and you will get ahead OF them"
Suppose the man was foolish enough
to take the advice. Just as soon as
that ship was built, the shipbuilder
would go to the next neighbor, and
say. why, don't you see that man
over there has got battleship?
What has he got that for? Do you
suppose he is building il for nothing?
Have you any doubt he has designs
on you? Where else can he use II
except on this lake? You had better
get ready. Now l can build you
two" And II this man is foolish, he
would build two. Then what an ar.
gument the shipbuIlder would have
when he got TO the third man!
why. there are two OF them against
you. They might combine and you
absolutely defenseless." Now with
that argument he could go all round
that lake, and. after building ships
for each one. he could go back to the
first one, and say: You are out oil
date. Look at the improvements
since you built. And then you have
only one. and these other people have
four or five or eight apiece These
is nothing for you to do but mortgage
your land. Now you are in for it,
Now that is the race OF the world, my
. friends-that Is the mad race of the
world.
My friends. the building OF these
great battleships. these preparations
by Christian nations to fight one an.
other, is a challenge to the Christian
civilization OF the world; II is infidel
ty to the doctrine taught by the foun.
der OF the Christian religion. Christ
taught no such doctrine; he taught
: us the power of love, not the power
OF the sword: and those who have
tried TO put into practice this doc
trine are the ones who have suffered
, least from the use of force. l be.
lieve that this nation could stand be
fore the world today and tell the
! world that It did not believe in war
that 1t did not believe that IL was the
right way to settle disputes, that II
had no disputes that It was not will
ing TO submit TO the Judgment OF the
} world. IL this nation did that, 1t moi
only would not be attacked by any
other nation on the earth, but II
would become the supreme power In
the world. believe that our nation
can take a long step in advance now
by announcing doctrines OF this kind
announcing that it's navy will not
be used for the collection OF debt
that, as we do not imprison people
for debt In this country, we will NOT
man battleships and kill people be
! cause they owe people In this coun
try; that we will apply to information
: al affairs the very doctrines we apply
4 to our national affairs, and, il any
, one in the United States wishes to
invest money according to the
laws of that country; that
we will apply to inter
national affairs the very doctrines we
apply to our national affairs, and II
anyone In the United States wishes
to invest money In another country
he must do so according 20 the laws
OF that country and be subject to the
authority of that country.
Then every nation would be open
to American investment; for that Is
the kind of investment they would
! look for. They have had enough OF
investments which are preceded By
the purchase of little land TO be fol.
lowed by a battleship that takes the
, rest Of the country. | believe that II
our nation would announce to the
world that II stands ready to enter
into a treaty of peace with every
other nation, big or little, whenever
there is any dispute which is beyond
} diplomatic settlement, that dispute
shall be submitted to an impartial
: tribunal for investigation and report
If our nation did that, IL would moi
be years time before we would
: have treaties of peace of that kind