Arizona republican., 1915-05-06
Where the People
 May Have Hearing
PREPAREDNESS FOR WAR

i To the Editor of the Republican, SIT: ! A recent editorial in the Republican
 on the subject of habitual unprepared- ness of the United States prompts me
 to again ask your indulgence in plea for a better way to maintain 1 peace and settle international differ
 ences other than by military force. The criticism in the editorial, car
 ried with it the implication that the writer had in mind only the military
 bearing of the question of the un- preparedness of the United States. i l will not try to contradict the na- l tions unpreparedness in the past or in 1 the present as compared with the military statistics of other great | powers.
 Neither is it my purpose at this time to argue the needlcssness of
 such complete and detailed state of | preparedness, as other nations have
 seen fit to bring upon themselves. l There is crisis in the worlds history just now, which will reach
 its climax with the close of the present European war. Possibly II l is the greatest crisis of the worlds l History; and if the proper adjustment l can be made of the causes that led 1 to tine war and of the conditions 1 which the contcndinS powers will
 find themselves in at the close of the war, with the thought of justice for all ever in mind; the sacrifice, sui fering and carnage will not have been i in vain
 l The Republican questions the ma | tons preparedness in military mat
 ters. 1 raise what l think is more
 important question, hoping the af- i 1n.. l time comes Is the United states prepared to lead the world in 1 plan to establish international justice
 and peace without the maintenance
 of vast armies and navies?
 | Can we pick within our great na-
 tion q few men broad enough to lay aside every consideration in the in
 terest of justice: irresistible in per
 sonality, and persuasivencss in main- | taining that justice, charity and tol- erance should be the foundation of i international relationship. It is urged | that the attempt to establish peace ! and secure protection without force i of arms is impracticable But let
 me ask, could anything more imprac- i ticablc or more of failure than the
 attempt in Europe to maintain peace
 and secure protection by means of | their great armies and navies? But war reaches beyond the boundaries of | those engaged in it. It produces | condition of chaos wherever it's power may he asserted. All so-called neutral ! and individual rights are subservient 1 to the necessities of war War makes | its own laws and enforces them ruth 1 lessly. The only restraint war ring nation feels toward a non-com- blatant nation is the desire not to provoke the -combatant into hos tilities The object of war is to
 maim. kill and destroy until one side l is exhausted And what is settled i by the war? Simply that one side was stronger than the other. or that 1 the winning army was better man 1 euvered. The justice or injustice of
 the condition which led to the war is | not established. How illogical is war? | The hearts of the forests, the hills.
 and plains. are provided by nature with weapons for self protection and
 defense. Mans best protection is | his reason. By his wits he easily
 protects himself from the wild beast;
 and he is largely successful in pro-
 tecting himself from the destructive 1 elements of nature, disease, famine.
 fire and flood.
 But if he makes an antagonist of 1 his fellow man. and this with his | wits to employ the same means he 1 has used against the beast and ma | tural destructive forces he has had to 1 contend with, he finds that he has no | protection, for his antagonist is just | as cunning as he is. And it always
 ends in a draw because it is fought | on different plane than that on l which the differences originated. All l quarrels, whether among individuals or between nations, cluster around | the idea of justice. Justice is one l of the attributes of righteousness and upon that plan must all conditions logically be settled if settled at all Then why war?
 It is not the process of evolution ! that leads us with our power of reason upward and on to a plan of righteousness? Are we going to cling 1 to the beasty ways of our ancient | fOrebearers? Civilization should be q surety of justice and of peace. and l | have faith to believe that if the test could be made right now we would find the great nations of the world ready to enter into a relation ship with each other that would make if possible to do away with great armies and navies. E. J.