El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-11-21


: behalf of other nations which were
wrcnged, as required by these treaty
obligations; and. on the other hand Win
courteous firmness to warn any naIlo1
which, for instance, seized or Searcneu
our ships against the accepted rules
OF international conduct that this we
could not permit, and that such
course should not be perseVered in by
any nation which desired our gooo
Will
I believe I speak for at least a con-
siderable portion of our people When
I say that we wish to make it eVldenI
that we feel sincere good Will toward
ali nations; that any action we take
against any nation is taken with the
q eatest reluctance and only because
tho wrOngdOing of that nation imposes
a distinct, although painful, duty upon
Us. and yet that we do not intend our
selves to submit to Wrongdolng from
any nation.
should Train Youth For War.
Until an efficient World League for
Feace is in more than mere process OF
formation, the United States must de-
pend upon itself for protection where
its vital interests are concerned.
All the youth Of the nation should
be trained in Warlike exercises and IN
the use of arms-as well as IN the
Indispensable virtues of courage, self
restraint and endurance-sO as to be
flG for national defence. But the right
arm of the nation must be its navy.
Cur navy is our most efficient peace
maker. In order to use the navy ef-
feotively we should clearly define to
ourselves the policy we intend TO 1Ql-
lev and the limits over which we eX-
Feet our power to extend our own
coasts, Alaska, Hawaii and the Pam
anna canal and its approaches should
represent the sphere in which we
should expect to be able singIe7handed
to meet and master any opponent from
over seas.
I exclude the Philippines. This is
because 1 feel that the present admin
istration has definitely committed US
Il course of action which may very
probably make the early and complete
severance of the Philippines from US
not merely desirable but necessary. I
have never felt that the Philippines
were OF envy special use to US But /
have felt that we had great task TO
perform there and that great nation
is benefited by doing great task.
1t was our bounden- duty to work
primarily for the interests OF the Fill
rinos; but. it was also our boundc1
duty, inasmuch as the entire response
bIlity lay upon us, to consult our own
Judgment and not theirs in finally de-
Gliding what was to be done 1t was
cur duty to govern the islands or to
get out of the islands It was most
certainly not our duty to take the
responsibility of staying in the Islands
without governing them. Still less was
it-Or is tour duty to enter into
about the islands; arrangements Of
confused responsibility and divided
power Of the kind sure to cause mis-
chief.
Guarantee Would he Folly.
had hoped thar we would continue
to govern the islands until we were
certain that they were able 10 govern
themselves in such fashion as to do
Justice to other nations and TO lrepel in
Justice committed on them by. other
nations To substitute for such gov
eminent by ourselves either a govern
ment by the Filipinos, with US guaran-
teeing them against outsiders or
joint guarantee between US and out
siders, would be folly.
It is eminently desirable to guaran-
tee the neutrality of small civilized ma
items which have a high social and
cultural status and which are so ad-
Vanced that they do not fall into dis
order c. commit WrOngdOlnS on 9TH
ers. But it is eminently undesirable
to guarantee the neutrality OF SOVer-
eighty of an inherently weak nation
which is impotent to preserve order
at home, to repel assaults from abroad
CT to refrain from doing wrong to out
siders. Tt is even more undesirable to
give such guarantee with no inten-
tipn of making it really effective.
That is precisely what the pres
ent administration would be delighted
to do, as has been shown by its re-
fusal to live up to its Hague prom
Uses at the very time that it was max
ing similar new international promises
by the batch. To enter into a joint
guarantee of neutrality which in emer-
sencies can only be rendered effective
by force of arms is to incur a serious
responsibility which ought to be IN
dertaken in a serious spirit. To enter
into il With no intention of using force,
or Of preparing force, in order at need
10 make it effective, represents the
kind Of Stiffness which is worse than
Wiokedness-
Uust Keen Promises.
Above all we should keep our prom
Uses. The present administration was
elC cted on the outright pledge of Civ