Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1914-08-26

Canada and all other nations must
choose between disarmament and
what? What is the one alternative TO
the disarming of the nations? In the
lurid light now beginning to fash il
our faces what choices are open? If
the nations do not agree, and bind
themselves in International agreement
to reduce their national armies to the
dimensions deemed adequate to the
needs of an international policing Of
the seas, what other course is open?
Are Canadians ready even now TO
ask these questions? Are we willing
to take that father look? AS by the
unmeasured sacrifices of her people,
at home and on the field, and by the
solemn decisions or her Parliament,
Canada earns the right to speak, will
Canada from this day on to the day of
reckoning among the nations tune
her speech to the voices of yesterday
or to the voices of tomorrow?
One thing alone is certain: the
Status quo" canot be resumed. Things
cannot be again as they We're before.
Not only will the map of Europe be
re-drawn and re-colored, but the in
| ternational relations and attitudes of
all nations will be changed. Interna-
| tionalism in the future must be one
thing or the other; either barbarism
or civilization; either militarism and
war or disarmament and peace; either
every nation every where must arm t.
the teeth or no nation anywhere must
be allowed to arm for war; either the
New World idea of reason and inter-
national faith must be pushed to the
limit of disarmament or the Old
World idea of brute-force and interna-
tional distrust must be accepted by
all countries; either we must all stand
with Christ or all stand with Caesar.
This Good Lord-Good Devil" will
not do any longer or ever again.
Canada certainly cannot go on talk
ing ornaments to herself and con-
structing no ornaments against her
neighbors. In our relations with the
United States we must be either Who'll
ly civilized or wholly savage. Our in
ternational lakes must be crowded
with warships and our boundary line
studded with Notifications, or our
frontier must be wide open as it is.
Our Atlantic and Pacific coasts must
be innocent of defences as they have
| been or EsquimaIt and Vancouver and
Halifax and Sydney must be made i'm
pregnable with forts and great fleets
must ride grim and menacing where
now only the Rainbow and the Niobe
Canadians must adopt the Euroean
idea for Canada and outrank Europe
as a war-nation, or Canada must de
her full duty to impose the Canadian
idea on Europe and to project it over
the world War with Germany on
the partially fortified fields of Belg-
ium and Alsace-Lorraine is hell for
France today; but is it much worse
than the fear of that hell which for
forty years held the French pecple
subject to bondage? Forts that are
not impregnable at all points and ar
maments that are not invulnerable
against all assaults will be, for Can
ada or any other nation, in the new
day after this world-war, nothing but
the constant fear of hell And Can
ada must make her choice and must
begin to make it now; ornaments for
Canada against all nations or the dis
armament of all nations against Can.
ada.
For several years The Globe has
argued for Canadian cruiser fleet ii
the North. Atlantic and in the Mort
Pacific. Because those argument.
were unavailing there have been alarm
and real danger on both coasts. An
yet there is something noteworthy
something not quite discreditable, l.
the fact that Canada was caughr
wholly unprepared for war, that ever