Grand Forks daily herald., 1914-10-21
ROOSEVELT ON PEACE.

ROOSEVELT ON PEACE.
Colonel Roosevelt has just closed
series of characteristic articles on
peace and the way to preserve 1t.
Roosevelt's articles are always inter-
esting. because they are full of force
and vigor, and brimming over with
the personality of the writer. So far
as the principles involved are con-
cerned. however. Roosevelt presents
IN this series nothing that il new. He
reiterated his we'll known and fire.
Quently stated beliefs concerning the
proper policy for the United States
to pursue at this juncture. and makes
some recommendations as to the
means by which world peace is ulti-
mately to be secured.
Roosevelt is stickler for a strong
army and navy. He believes that the
United States should at once proceed
to equip itself to defend itself against
any and all aggressors, and he con.
tends that In that manner only can
we be certain that we will not become
engaged in war The nation, he be-
lieves. should arm itself so thorough
ly that no other nation nor combine
ton OR nations will dare to attack it.
Just how many soldiers and how
many battleships 1t will take to reach
the strength that Roosevelt thinks we
ought to be able to show in order to
scare OFF all other nations may be q
matter of opinion. But it ought to be
very clearly understood that any pro-
gram like this involves some serious
possibilities. We have seen something
Of what great ornaments have done
for Europe. The nations there have
been running q race with each other,
and the race has resulted in a grand
smash. Moreover. in the past forty
years the creation of all these arma-
ments has impoverished millions of
people, and has consumed wealth
which ought to have been devoted to
some other purpose. Yet the authori-
ties of no European nation will say
that they have armed for purposes of
aggression. Each nation. according to
the statements of its heads, has been
sincerely desirous Of peace. and has
organized its armies and built its ma
vies solely for the protection Of itself
and it's own interests from the axgres-
sions Of Jealous foreigners. In Ger
many the military system has been
brought to the highest degree of per-
fection ever known in the history of
the world. and yet the German en-
peror and the German statesmen are
unanimous In saying that their only
purpose has been to defend. the faith
erland from its enemies, and to have
1t able to present such tremendous
armed force to any possible adver-
sary that no nation would dare at
tack it. Up to the early summer of
this year, at least. Germany could
have said, and in fact her representa-
tive men did say In effect that they
had merely done for Germany what
Roosevelt proposed shall be done for
the United States. And yet. with all
this preparation, with all these forty
years Of arming aud drilling, Germany
is today engaged in the most terrible
war in the history of the world, and
is fighting for her very life.
If the military system of GERMANY
did not keep her out Of war, how
much of a military system will it take
to keep the United States out of wal?
Another side of the subject merits
some attention. How large and elab-
orats q military establishment would
We need to have before that very as.
tablishment would force us into war?
For instance. there have been some
years Of trouble in Mexico. some-
times there has been friction between
certain Mexicans and the representa-.
tives and government of the United
States. Nothing that has happened
has been due to the fact that the Uni.
ted States has not large standing
army. The same things would have
happened II we had had universal and
compulsory military service. But. if
We had maintained the body of pro-
fessional soldiers which such a. condi-
ton would demand, there would have
been q demand so strong as to be ir-
resistible that we use our army for
the purpose Of whipping Mexico into
shape. AS 1t is there has been pres
sure Of this sort. With a big army
that had nothing else to do there
would have been no resisting the pres-
sure. and we would have had a war
With Mexico. As scientific exposi.
ton Of the military art the war mixht
not have amounted to much. Our
trained soldiers would have scattered
the Mexican armies about a. fast as
they could have been mustered. and
the moment our soldiers torned their
backs the Mexican bands would have
reassembled and been as busy as ever.
There would have been no battles like
those in France. but some Thousands
~ useful American citizens would
have been killed. there would have
been widows and orphans. and pen.
Ions and taxes and all the accompan.
ment. Of real war. And We would
1aws been at It long time.
~ big military establishment does
nce keep nation out Of waf. It does
tSmpt . nation into was.
kAT THE War HAS TAUGHT %.
gAtesgo Hsrald: What has the war
" shout businesse The auss.
49, II psFtinsnt. 6ince the beGinnina