The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-12-01

lions. Inese old conditions made her
the greatest example of a pacificistic,
peace at any price, nonmilitaristic
people. Because OF their cult of pa
cificism, the Chinese. like the Ko-
reans and utterly unlike the Japa-
nese, became absolutely powerless to
defend themselves or to win or retain
the respect Of other nations. They
were also, of course, utterly helpless
to work for the good of others The
professional pacificists Of he United
States are seeking to make the United
States follow in the footsteps of China
They represent what has been on the
whole the most evil influence at work
In the United States for the last fifty
years. and for five years they have in
international affairs shaped our gov
ernmental policy. These men, whether
politicians. publicists. college presi
dents. capitalists. labor leaders. or
self-styled philanthropists. have done
everything they could to relax the
fibre of the American character and
weaken the strength of the American
will. They teach our people to seek
that debasing security which is to be
found in love of ease, in fear of risk.
in the timid effort to avoid any duty
that is hard or hazardous--a security
which purchases peace in the present,
not only at the cost of humiliation in
the present. but at the cost of dis
aster In the future. They are seek
ing to Chinafy this country.
Chinafying, America.
In so doing they not only make us
work for our own undoing md for
the ultimate ruin OF the great demo-
cratic experiment for which our great
American republic stands. but they
also render us utterly powerless to
work for others. We have refused
to do our duty by Belgium; we re-
fuse to do our duty by Armenia; be-
cause we have deified peace at any
price because We have preached and
practiced that evil pacificsm which
is the complement TO and encourage
ment Of alien mlitarisn. Such vaci-
ftcisn puts peace above righteousness,
safety in the present above both duty
in the present and safety In the flu
ture.
| trust that all Americans worthy
of the name. feel their deepest In
diSnatfon and keenest sympathy
aroused by the dreadful Armenian
atrocities. l feel that they trust in
the same way about the ruin of Bel
gums nationality, and realize that a
peace obtained without restoring Bel
GUM to It's own people and righting
the wrongs of the Armenians would
be worse than any war. / trust that
they realize that unless America pre-
pares to defend itself she can perform
no duty to others. and under sach
circumstances she earns only derision
If she prattles about forming a league
for world peace. or about arbitration
treaties, or by disa rmament proposals
and commission investigation treat
such as nspeakably foolish ones
initiated year or two ago at Wash
ington and which were promptly dis
regarded by the very administration
which negotiated them.
Let us realize that the words of the
weakling and the towards, the paci-
flclst and the poltroon.- Or worth
to stop Wrongdoing Wrongdoing will
only be stopped by men who are brave
as well as just. who put honor above
safety. who are true to lofty ideal OF
duty who prepare in advance to make
their strength effective, and who
shrink from no hazards, even the final
hazard Of war, IL necessary in order
to serve the great cause of righteous
ness. When our people take this stand
we Will also be able effectively to take
+ 4 stand in international matters which
shall prevent such cataclysms of
wrong as have been witnessed in Bel
GUM and on an even greater scale
! in Armenia.
Sincerely yours
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.