New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-12

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: An interesting parallel is af-
forded by comparing the words of the
President on the subject of our Sc
curity from invasion and the prepared
ness of our national defences, as con-
tanned in his recent message, addressed
TO Congress, with the lessons of the
past found in the excellent History of
the American People" written by Mr..
Wilson before his elevation TO the
Chief Magistracy.
In his address 10 Congress on De-
cember 3, 1914, President Wilson said:
And what is Il that 90 IS suggested we should be-
tackf We have always found means to 90 tIat AID
csiiinz our people away from their necessary tasks
to render compulsory military service boz times %
peace.
After speaking of the peaceful ideals
Of the Republic and its earnest desire
to remain on terms of friendship with
ell nations, the President continued:
II asked. Are you ready n defend yoIrseiyes''
we reply. Most assuretiy, 90 the utmost ald yet
we SHAH not turn America into military camp
Let Us remind ourselves. Therefore. ~ lnt 9'S
thing We do or viii do. We must depend lH
past. not upon standing army. not yei up,H a y.
serve army. but upon a citizeny trained anu accls-
toned TO arms
Turning now to the story of our sew
eral wars as given in Mr.. Wilson's
History of the American People let
us see from that authority exactly
what reliance history teaches us can be
placed on the preparedness OF the
citiZenry.
We read in Vol. III, p. 204, a sum-
mary of the steps preliminary to the
War of 1912, which discloses remark
able similarity between the love Of
peace of the present administration and
the desire for peace of the administra-
ton of Mr.. Madison and his Cabinet
then in office. and which shows how
completely abhorrert the thought OF
war was to President Madison, as it is
to his distinguished successor, Presi-
dent wilson:
Mr. Madison loved peace as Nr. Jefferson did. and
was Eilins 10 secure it al Hy 80" PROCESS " iaw
or negOtiation-ths promised 90 Keep var az arms
KID everywhere American ships were seized and
conascaied " ihe protest that they were earlier
Tor England. whom be ,Napolconl meant 20 beat az
any cost. Madison did not want war The
United states were not strong enough particularly
that the party Ia power had disbanded iis aruy
The Presideni's principles clearly forbade war. be-
sides. tie wished 20 fight With the weapons Of uoml
r. Il. 2df yI'' '''0''''' anu ''''''' '''''''
Mr.. Wilson then details the failure
of the peaceful means to avoid war and
records its necessity, in spite of the
Presidents devotion to the cause of
peace. War finally came in 1872
Speaking of the declaration of war,
Mr.. Wilson says:
Il was a foohariy and RECKLESS risk that Congress
was taxing Il Nas certainly no Zine for haitle,
uon-iaiercourse and had disbandcd the amy. TIE
revenues % the government were scarcely more fhau
surlcielt fos 10 mcaSrc PEACE caiabhshmcnL
". 2li)
The result of this policy is then
stated as follows:
The course Of war dh little 70 improve matters.
The government had neither the means nor the or
thorized 10 Increase the regular from 6.0o0 20
Is. 600 men and 10 call Tor 10000 volunteers ana 20
volunteers were n0, 10 b. had Tor the asking. and
officers even harder 10 SCI than men. ~. -lf
On the coasts English fleets swsrmed thicker and
thicker. until almost every port was ctectuaib
closed Finding 10 opposing force 20 attack Their
crews made frequent desccnt upon the defehcele.a
settlements. which they burned AMI p,undcred
or. 220D
Mr.. Wilson then refers TO the burn
ing Of Washington. lie states that by
the end of March, 1914, !. e., two years
after the declaration of war. we had
managed to collect an army trained by
the hard process of war itself. which
from that time on to the conclusion Of
peace in the following year gave an
excellent account of itself"
Turning now 10 the Mexican War; ]
quote from Vol. ", p. lls;
There wa, nothing Tor II but TO vote supplies and