The Washington herald., 1913-09-14


ways be unreauy for war. and, in conse
quence. will always be exposed to great
expense and to the possibility Of the
gravest calamity when the nation goes
to war. This is no new thing. Ameri-
cans learn only from catastrophes and
not from experience.
There would have been no war in ISls
IL in the previous decade America, in
stead of announcing that peace was
her passion instead of acting on the
theory that unpreparedness averts war,
had been willing to go to the expense
of providing a feet of q score of ships
of the line. However, in that case doubt
less the very men who in the actual
event deplored the loss of life and
waste Of capital which their own su-
pineness had brought about would have
loudly inveighed against the excessive
and improper cost Of armaments." So
it all came to about the same thing in
the end.
Peace at Any Price.
There Is no more thoroughgoing inter-
national Mrs. Gummidge and no more
utterly useless and often utterly mis-
chievous citizen than the peace-at-any-
price, Observation-Disclosures type of be-
ing. who is always complaining either
about war or else about the cost of the
armaments which act as the insurance
against war. There is every reason why
We should try to limit the cost of arma-
ments, as these tend TO grow excessive.
but there is also every reason TO remem-
her that in the present stage OF civiliza-
ton proper armament is the surest
guarantee of peace-and is the only
guarantee that war, if il does come, will
not mean irreparable and overwhelming
disaster.
GlOrifed' Huckstcrs.
In the spring of 1897 President Mckinley
appointed me Assistant Secretary uf the
Navy. | owed the appointment chivHy to
the efforts of Senator II. C. Lodge of
Massachusetts. who, doubtless. was
actuated chiefly by his long and close
friendship for me but alsO-I like 10 be-
lieve-by his keen interest in the navy.
The first book I had ever published
fifteen years previously. was ''The His
tory of the Naval War of 1872 and
have always taken the interest in the
navy which every good American ought
TO take. At the time ! wrote the book
in the early SOS the navy had
reached its nadr. and we were then ut.
tcrly incompetent ts fight Spain or any
other power that had a navy at all
hesitatinsly to build up a feet.
1t is amusing TO recall the roundabout
steps we took TO accomplish our purpose
In the reaction after the colossal strug-
Gle of the civil war our strongest and
mOsth capable men mad thrown their
whole energy into business, into money
making, into the development, and above
all the exploitation and exhaustion at tie
most rapid rate possible, of our natural
TFaEf n1T,sF -TvNin
rivers. These men were not weak men,
but they permitted themselves TO grow
ShortsiShted and selfish and while many
OF them down at the bottom possessed
the fundamental virtues, including the
nShung virtues, others We're purely OF the
slorifed huckster or gorifed pawn
broker type-which when developed to the
exclusion Of everything else makes about
as poor national type as the word has
seen. This unadulterated huckster or
I'awnbroker type is rarely keenly SYM
pathetic in matters of social and indus
trial justice, and is usually physically
timid and likes TO cover an unworthy
i'ar Of the most just war under high
sounding names.
The MnIIycoddIe Vote.
It was REINFORCED by the large molly
"uddIe vote-the people who are soft
physically and morally, or who have a
iNlSt IN them which makes them acidly
"antankerous and unpleasant as long as
they can be SO with safety to their
bodies In addition there are the good
people with no imagination and no fore
sight, who think war will not come. but
that II it does come armies and navies
"am be imprOvised-a very large element.
tyPihcd by a Senator l knew personally
who. in public speech. in answer 10 a
question as to what We would do IL
America were suddenly assailed by a
nrst-class military power. answered that
We would build a battleship in every
creek Then. among the wise and high
minded people, who in self-respectng