Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1914-07-21

tudes Of men whose names might
call, and with whom l have talked.
in his expression of hearty gratitude
to the United States. He said: "You
opened the door for us by which we
came out into the sisterhood Of civil
lied nations. 1t was you who led the
way. Shall a child make war upon
its revered mother?" And that is
the sentiment you will find in Japan.
Don It believe, my friends, the things
that come filtering through the yellow
dispatches from Toxic, designed mere
ly,to make reading matter for sensa-
tional scare lines. Yellow journalism
depends upon springing sensations,
even at the expense of kindling be-
tween nations the awful catastrophe
of war. Japan is not going to fight
you, not because she has only nine
teen battleships where you have thir-
ty-eight. Japan is not going to fight
you, because she does not want to
fight anybody. She wants to be let
alone. She wants peace-constructlve
peace. She is not going to fight any
one, because she can't.
She went back from Portsmouth de-
feated in her demand for indemnity
not by the diplomacy and the STRAIT
egy of Witte, but defeated by her own
empty-handed poverty, for she knew,
as the Russians knew, that Japan
could not have delivered another bat
tie to save her soul. There is only
one way Japan could fight you, and
that is that some European nation,
intent upon her suicide, should under
write the method of her self-murder,
or that the Hebrew bankers Of Europe
should take a mortgage on her tea
fields and lacquer factories, feeling
certain of its enforcement.
Japan is not going to fight you as
long as you and are true to the
principles upon which America stands.
Japan will look to you as her inspira-
tion and her friend.
But there is not a nation Of the
world, from the least to the greatest,
but has hundred causes of para
mount Importance to the future OF
her people why these wasted millions
might be well devoted to some other
service. No matter what is left I'M
done, the military mania is ever cry
ing with feverish greed for more.
Side by side with neglect of ma
tional duty and the squandering of
resources, militarism is breed
ing internal dangers. The civilized
world is seething with discomfort.
Everywhere the mass of the people
are developing resentful opposition
to the existing order of things, and
by far the greater part of it comes
from the crushing and constantly in
creasing demand for larger sums to
devote to national defense. To the
masses of men taxation is only justi-
fable when its results are manifested
in the general good. 1t is hard to
convince men of the necessity, in times
Of peace, Of vast creations of arma-
ment, when, in order to pay for it,
there must result ruinous taxes, long
hours, short wages, high prices. The
burden eventually becomes too heavy
to be borne, and then comes chaos.
In England today, with an annual
income of one billion dollars, eighty
six per cent come from almost ruin
ous taxation. In Germany, in addi-
ion to the government ownership,
he taxation burdens all classes of the,
people and Germany has just assesseH'
/ special Income Tax of 8 per cent for
purposes. In France, the in
crest on the national debt alone is
i've dollars a head for every living
oul in the Republic, and the war bud
,et takes $7.20 more per capita. In
italy, taxes range from twelve per
INT on houses to twenty per cent
m income. In Japan, ninety per cent
If the income is from taxation-and
Japanese patriotism rises to a willing
ate of thirty-fve per cent-but he
,ays it with a smile on his face and
ong in his heart, and Banzai for the
'lory of Japan.
Far beyond the decadent effect of
Ictual war is the immoral effect Of
asst bodies of segregated men. Muir
Ter, cruelty, rapine, and loot always
ollow in the trail of battle, but they
ONE quickly and they pass quickly;
ut far more lasting and degrading are
he vices that hang about the idle
thousands of armed peace.
In Germany today fifty-seven per
ent of the men are unmarried. There =
re three reasons for that peculiar
ondition of things: The first is that
he average population is 80 to the
quare mile. 1t takes atbraye man,
onscious of his power of parenthood, {
o complacently look into the face of 5
he possibility of increasing that per
ent of population. Then every man
1 Germany under the age of forty can
e called on few days. notice to the 5
olors. And when he is called he must J
o. He may dislike the order Of 7
lings, he may dislikeithe War Lord, q
ut when he is called he must go, .
ut on his uniform, and stand up |
nd make a target of himself to be a
hot at. whether he-will. or not; and q
o man wants a wife. with a cottage a
nd a little brood of children, with a
contingency like that before him. a