The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-11-01
WAR PREPARATIONS DO
NOT PRESERVE PEACE
Nemesis of Armamcnts Theme of Forceul Arrangement of
the Mailed Fist of Europe Advocates Of Mtarism
Playing With Fre-Heavy War Premiums Fail to Insure
Peace

trustful persons Will repeat II. Euppos-
ing that II is an accurate statement
Of facts. Let us look into IT a little.
and find, cut. il we can. more about
the character and fate of these spooks.
1t should never be forgotten that
that there are two different species
Of spooks.
Il is in no gloating spirit that we
call the attention Of the editor of the
aforementioned journal, and other mis-
guided armament enthusiasts, to the
position of the peace workers which is
furnished by this European war array.
/ What has become OF that army of
bogies with which the editors OF sun
day papers have peopled the imagina-
tions Of the unthinking?
I It would be saying too much to as
sert that the roar of The European
guns has awakened these armament
! loving gentlemen from their foolish
/ dreams, for some men will probably
never he. awakened from their foolish
ness till the final blast of the Judg-
ment Day, but we venture to call the
attention Of all men who are awake
4 TO the dramatic vanishing of the phan-
tom host OF spooks with which the
miltarists have peopled the magma
( ton of the world.
/ It will be profitable for us to con-
slider these spooks one by one.
Spook Number One.
I "Arma ments are the only sure guar
lantee Of peace" We have heard Ii
thousand times from men who seemed
to know. 1t has been published in
! a thousand volumes and in ten thou
sand papers, and so men came to
accept II as the truth. When now
and then war seemed to threaten, we
were assured that all would be well
If the armament could be somewhat
increased.
Through thirty years the work of in
creasing armament has gone merrily
on. 1t was in this way that sensible
men worked for peace. The experts
in these high matters were connden,
that nation by making itself formi-
dable insured itself against attack.
/ Safety. they said, depends on thickness
OF armor. and the only way to con-
serve the peace is to so load nations
down with. weapons that no one of
/ them will dare to fight
This doctrine was especially con-
vincing to Russia and Germany, and
so they have gone on adding new bat
talions until the dimensions of their
armies have astonished the world. In
these two empires the militarist ideal
mament on both sides was so enor-
\ nous that peace was guaranteed
Armament is, of course, expensive
and statesmen have long been at their
wits end to finance these vast mill
tary prepare tions. Parliaments have
at times grown ohstreperous, but they
have always succumbed 70 tho plea
that the increased budgets were neces-
sary to safeguard the interests of
| peace.
\ The people have been growing IN
creasingly restless. but their murmur-
, ings have been quieted by assurance
that all this increased taxation would
secure for them the blessings. of
peace.
Not an appropriation for the In
crease Of army or navy has been pas.
within the last twenty years in any
parliament in the world, which has
not been secured by men VINO were
pleading for peace. That ornaments
guarantee peace was dogma which
t. WAS biasphemy to dispute.
When holes were punched in the
doctrine by the Russo-Japanese war.
and by the Spanish American war. and
ny the Balkan war, tha~ holes were
covered over by the broad facts that
Germany had not used her army for
"A generation. and that England's fleet
mad never fired n gun. The peace OF
Europe--so all the wise men said
was due to ornaments.
1t was a lie. and the lie is now
being shot to pieces before our eyes.
II speaks we'll for the peaceful tenn
per of the peoples OF Europe that they
stood the strain so long. Armamenfs
are provocative OF war. You may
increase them for a season. but at
last you receive The retribution which
you invited
The least surprised men in the world
today are the men who for many years
have, been protesting against arma-
ments They may he dreamers but
the silly dream that ornaments are
guarantees OF peace never entered
their minds.
For a generation they have been
crying ont against the waste and
wickedness Of the policy Of Armed
I Peace" They have said in season and
out of season. This cannot go on.
This must not go on. IT is a crime
against humanity 1t will drag the
world back into barbarism. Itwill end