Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1915-07-23

Cl al IllCI > lG VIC law vi LSkp.
done in Panama. If, instead Of act
ing as this nation did in the fall OF
1908, we had confined ourselves to
debates in Congress and diplomatic
notes; if, in other words, we had
treated e%lOcution as a substitute for
action, we would have done nobody
am good, and for ourselves we would
have earned the hearty dcris!on or
all other natiOns-the Canal would
not even have been begun at the
present day: and there would have
been a general c]oncensus of inter-
national opinion to the effect thai We
were totally unfit to- perform any Of
the duties Of international life, es-
pecially in connection with the west
ern Hemisphere.
Failed in Duty.
unfortunately in the last few
years we have as regards pretty
much everything not connected with
the Isthmus of Panama, so failed in
our duty Of national preparedness,
that | fear there actually is a gen
eral c%oncensus Of opinion to precise
~ this effect among the nations OF
the world as regards the United
States at the present day. This is
primarily due to our unpreparedness.
I'VE have been ,c%ulpably, well.nigh
criminally, remiss as p nation in not
preparing ourselves, and if with the
lessons taught the world By the
dreadful tragedies Of the last twelve
months, we continue with soft com.
pla cency to stand helpless and naked
before the world. we shall excite on
ly contempt and derision II and when
disaster ultimately overwhelms us.
Preparedness against wal does
not invariably avert war, any more
than a fire department in a city Will
invariably avert a fire; and there are
well-meaning foolish people who
point out this fact as Offering an eeX-
cuse for unpreparedness. 1t would
be Just as sensible if after the Chi
cago fire Chicago had announced that
it would abolish its fire department,
as for our people who take the same
view as regards military prepared
ness. Some years ago | was looking
over some very old newspapers con-
tempcraneOus with the early estab-
lishment of paid fire departments in
this country. and to my amusement,
I came across a letter which argued
against a paid fife department upon
the ground that the knowledge OF its
existence would tend to make house
holders careless and therefore would
encourage fires.
China an Example.
"Greece was not prepared for war
when she went to war with Turkey
a score of years ago. But this 1act
did not stop the war. 1t merely
made the war unsuccessful Tor
Greece. China was not prepared Tor
war with Japan twenty odd years
ago, nor for war with the Allies who
marched to Picking fifteen years ago.
But the clearest teaching is con.
veyed in the experience Of China and
of Belgium during the last year. AS
regards Belgium the comparison
should be made between it and Swift
zerlard. The territory of SwitZer-
land, like the territory of Belgium,
lay between the great combatants.
One offered as advantageous a path
of entry to those combatants as the
other. A century ago, for instance
when Switzerland was utterly UMPIRE
pared for war, the Napoleonic ar
mics used it as a highway in march
ing against the Austrians and South
Germans. Absolutely the same fate
would have been theirs now save for
the vital fact that in the century in
tervening the Swiss people having
loorpod Tho 1occon had in
advance and were thoroughly com
ptent to defend themselves. They
had a first-class citizens army OF
about-tenth the size of their whole
population. This army was instantly
modified and thrown on the from
tiers, and in consequence switzer-
!anN's territorial integrity was re-
| snected"