The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-08-30
THE Widest LUNATIC
IN AMERICA

The widest lunatic in America is
allowed to roam at will in the edi-
torial columns of the Chicago Tri-
bune.
He will have nothing but war
with Germany, for he does not see
how Germany can accept the
declarations of the United States as
the conditions of peace.
The Tribune does not question the
soundness of the position taken by
the administration, but it INDUCES
! in these wild rawlings:
If glorious lunacy could accom-
plish anything more superb it is be-
yond the imagination to conceive 1t.
Not an extra wheel in one of the
United States arsenals has been
turned; not an extra man has been
employed; not N extra precautiou
has been taken; not single def
cheney OF the American military
establishment. notorious, clamorous,
and insistent as they are are, has
been considered.
All the time, from the sending OF
the first American note after the
sinking of the Lusitania to this per-
iod of intense and ominous silence
following the sinking Of the Arabic,
there has not been one act of gov
eminent which would indicate that
the prospect of the American nation
was clouded by a small threat OF
danger.
Here is a nation that cannot even
find tents for training school to be
established at Fort Sheridan for the
instruction of volunteers, waiting
the decision of the mightiest mills
tary nation of the world, waiting a
decision whether if should be peace
or war, and not, in the meantime
making one new tent, one new
wa on for military transport, one
new rifle, one additional cartridge
one additional she'll
Here is a nation which has nc
soldiers and no equipment for any
which has no guns and no ammuni-
ton for any-the eXaggeration is
only an emphasis of the truth-sub-
hitting itself to the will and de-
cision of the mightiest military ma
ton in the world, and, in doing so
content that in between it and this
nation stand other countries which
might protest us while the blunder
ing American ideas of preparation
! slowly might work themselves out
All of which is the cheapest kline
of buncombe, which leans nowhere
except to lunatic asylum. Tho
/ Tribune would have us silently sub
nit to any outrage committed or
American rights, until we had armet
and equipped land force equal tt
that of Germany and navy greater
than that of England
Fortunately, we had in the State
Department Bryan instead of thu
editor of the Tribune, and in tn
White House Wilson instead o
Roosevelt
America is always undeary; sh'
was in 1875; in 1892; in 1912; j,
1S4S; in 1861; in 1898.
But she gets ready. and all tn
/ nations of the world know it.
Is Germany ready? Her navy i
land locked. Her army is fully oc
cupied in war due to arroganc,
bern of show of preparedness, a
the Tribune would secure for Amerl
ca.
! 1t is not true no preparation
have been made for larger arm.
and navy; both today are stronge
in all their appointments than Il
any time in our history.
Let us hope that the LIMOGES AM
the contractors and the men VIII,
love war for the sake of slaughte
| will not be able to carry the Ameri
can people into wild orgy of ex
travagance under the plea of prep
aredness.
We supposed the leaders Of tn
pacifists had exhausted the follies o
the hour, but they are sane, com
pared with such rawlings as fill TIL
columns of the Chicago Tribune
Louisville (Ky), Post.