White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1913-02-23
The BASELESS
FEAR OF WAR
ANDREW CARNEGIE BASES BE-
LIEF OF NATIONAL PEACE
FROM OBSERVATION THAT
COLUMBIA HAS NO ENEMIES.

Officials under the present ad-
ministration have recently become
prominent in surprising efforts to in
crease our naval and military forces,
the latest and most startling being
Colonel Cocktails estimate of no less
than 5000 soldiers as necessary to
guard the Panama canal, strongly
fortified against naval assault as 1t
is. Under present conditions no
sensible man would object to ade-
quate protection of our whole coun-
try by the army and navy, but surely
this Is madness, writes Andrew
Carnegie in the New York Indepen-
dent.
The pending demand is for three
b~attleships this session, but General
Wood tells us that the Canal once
opened is to require more battleships
than hitherto. differing in this from
the president who has assured US
that only one battleship per year
would be required after the Canal
was opened, because our fleet could
then be transferred either to the At
latte or Pacific as required, thus
doubling its efficiency.
Mr.. Roosevelt holds that there is
but one way to maintain inter-
national peace, and that is by keep
ing our army and navy in such a
state of preparation that there will
be no temptation on the part of
someone else to go to war with us
Someone else" is definite indeed.
Our republic has no n who wishes
to go to war with her today, and has
not in our day had one DESTROYS of
doing so, although Mr.. Roosevelt
when president was once strongly
frightened. He had proclaimed his
policy TO be n battleship a year, not
TO increase the present navy, but only
to maintain its efficiency. but he APP
Diltd " lOhi Nal0hlDo htA btnoAOb
of congress. The dreaded foe has
not yet appeared. His fears we're
groundless. II is stated that We, re-
mote as We are from danger, are now
spending about 20 per cent of our
total expenditures upon army and
navy. including pensions, while Brit
ain, in the very center of the only
strong military and naval powers,
spends only 43 per cent of hers on
army and navy, which seems in
credible. II is high time We should
look into this.
No one ventures to name the IA
tions or nation that has the faintest
idea of qnarreling with us, nor have
We any Idea of quarreling with any.
All We have to do is to show our con
fidence in the continuance of pres
ent happy relations with all and cease
expanding either army or navy.
Our military and navy officials
fight imaginary foes when they
think of possible invasions of enc
mics. The republic having no de-
signs of territorial acquisition nor
powerful neighbors, has no enemies
to fear. 1t is the evers with Eu-
ropean lands Joined together, each
armed against the other as probable
invaders. We expect those of our
military and naval circles to dwell in
their dreams upon possible attack
and defense-"Tis their vocation
But to any proposal Of increast army
or navy We hope our president-elect's
response will be-"Pray tell us first
against what enemy you need this
protection. Name the power or
powers and tell us what object they
can have for attacking us, how they
can benefit therefrom-what end in
view" There are today only two
navies greater than our own. those
of Britain and Germany. We rank
third. Does any sensible man. naval
and military officers excepted. fear
.w1if .'Detween the two parts of our
speaking race? Is not this unthink-
able? As we have outgrown the
duel so have we outgrown homieidal
war. English speaking men are
-. again 10 accail aanh otbar