The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-05-05
By the Way

sone.
It would be treason in the first de-
9ree to suggest that the united States
= not 9 fighting nation. as 1t has
but from the viewpoint of Europe.
where the fight game was invented,
our nation holds the cellar champion
ship as q war nation. Az they see Il.
the United States bats about 1000,
history will justify Europe. where war
ana CONQUEST arc synonymous. in the
The Revolutionary war was not 81
war OF conquest. A few poorly
merely fought to keep what they had
found. made and owned. They fought
eight years with the ferocity Of a nor
NAL man protecting his family and
property from q burglar. Each state.
which was merely q geographical sub
division established by precedent Of
original royal grant, the time OF settle
ment or some other haphaxard system.
organized In itself as soon as the war
was closed. and it took several years
Of the day to organize the states into
one solid federation-and then the
organization was perfected by small
majority, each state being Jealous OF
its own rights and suspicious of any
proposition to vest any part OF those
rights In q central government. And
some OF their suspicious were Justified.
from the standpoint of fighters. by inn
mediate results. AS disorganized dis
trfcts, each furnishing fighting men
was good. and acknowledging no
union except a military head. they
had whipped the greatest nation OF
the earth. and then
They were no sooner cemented by .
central government, with q dignity to
uphold, than that government began
to receive insults from every corner.
The government became civil and po-
litical. instead of military, the navy
was sold for junk, and in q few years
the favorite pastime Of all foreigners
was kicking the United States in the
Stats. The war Of 1912 was forced:
and although the Americans whipped
the enemy. tt was really draw. They
gained nothing-even the treaty that
closed hostilities did not contain q
mention Of the cause Of the war.
During the jefferson period, the
Dey of Tripoli, who was the Huerta or
those parts, captured a lot OF Amert-
cans. and sent the United States a bill
for ransom. He agreed to return Il
OF these prisoners for SIS, 1876. The
President wanted to Do Something
About It. But Congress had its Bris-
lows, even then. who considered nag
Ging the political opposition a first
duty. and all others subservfent there
to, and while the matter was debated
as to whether to pay the money or
whip the pirates, IL Of the Fl died In
captivity. A few fighting men were
sent over there, whipped the thugs.
captured their city. and then, instead
Of looting the thing to recover the
ransom money they had paid in the
past and hanging the boss crook OF the
bunch. made a treaty" with him. and
paid him $500 in cash-probably
to salve his injured feelings! Wouldn't
that give you the pip? But 1t was
only the beginning Of custom that
politics began. sWealose every time we
win. We whipped Spain and captured
the n .Rhilipptnes3rjends khyn paid TOR
them.s-. In '48s wen whipped. Mexico In
q war that was started by adventur-
GUS pioneers, and not by the govern
ment. and didn't ttakes Mexico. We
may WHIP Huerfa, bat instead OF
punishing him for his cdssedness. will
pay him to stop bowling and give him
q Job on the chautauQua circuit. the
value from anybody but the Indians
and the government didn't do that
merely sending out troops occasionally
to protect settlers who had done tine
taking on their own responsibility
EVERY time they whipped the Indians
BY military means. the civil part oi
the eovarnment gave the red brothers
some more guns and ammunition &C
they would be a little harder to whiT
next time. The United States hal
been like a nest Of ants. The ant
stops hostilities az soon as you quit
poline his nest with q stick, and ther
PUSHES back to repair the injury t.
said nest-never attempting to enlarge
the territory Of the nest or pursuing
the enemy, in reprisal. Punitive
damages il q term recognized in civil
procedure, but never in war. so far a.
| the United States, is concerned.
In Europe. war means acquisition
means preservation from somebody
ana It 10 the attitude Europe doesn't
and never will, understand.