The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-12-13
GARRISON STRONGL YDEFENDS NEW
MIL TTARY POLICY NOW PROPOSED

Z
I tends To Preveat il. and in many in
stances has been demonstrated To have
( prevented e. The military force pre-.
pared by ethe ulcipahty- that is.
the poiice--toes net prevent CRIME.
but il tends to prevent IT, and it un-
douhtedly minimieos the agEressions
of the wrone-goer against. tho lives
and property az the rl.sht-aoer.
An Inevitable Conflict.
So long as right aud wrong exist
in the world. there will be an inevita-
bic conflict between them. The right
doors must he prepared 30 protcct
and defend the right as against the
/ wrong Their preparation will tend
10 prevent the triumph of wrong: ana
IN those instances TN which 1t does no.
prevent the attempt IL can prevent the
success Of the attempt
Somewhat in the same vein is toe
tnsiStence of those who say II VIII
moi consent to the nation having arms
until | know against whom 1t intends
10 use them" Identical reasoning
would result in saying 4 viii not place
a club or revolver IN he hands OF n
policeman until he tells me the name
Of the criminal he intends TO use then,
upon" or. Il will not agree 10 prepare
fire apparatus unless you point ont
whore the fires are going to be-" Wis
dom demands precauuon. precaution
demands preparation: preparation Is
against the day of evil from any quar-.
ter.
IT the only protection against evil
was such as was undertaken after the
evil was upon us, therc would he con-
slant and steady retrogression in hu-
man affairs.
Another stumbling to some il
Z Nm go.
should be made and no precaution
should be taken. because no one can
foreteli how much We may have to
meet and what we will require to meet
IL. Here again the idea embodied IN
this suggestion would stay ali human
progress No one can. foreteil the fu-
4 ture with accuracy with respect to
anything in human life. Health,
wealth, outbursts of nature, and hui
I man outbreaks--no one can surely
{ foretell anything concerning them IF
we should not prepare ourselves rea-
lsonahly with respect tn these things
1 because we cannot he sure that we
have protected ourselves against al
/ conceivable possihilities. We would he
deliberately choosing tho path Of folly
and not that OF wisdom. The two ex-
tremes OF any proposition are the
foolish ones: the reasonable mean il
the wise one.
There Will be some who assert that
the devastating effects and the horror
produced by the war now being wag-
ed make it certain that war will be
avoided for a long period of time af-
ter the close Of the present war. They
VIII argue that tho exhaustion OF re-
SOURCES and the recollection of tns
lawful suffering will have the effect
OF lettering nations from entering
upon war.
What basis IS there for such be-
: lief? Certainly such basis cannot be
found In history-our own or that
Of other nations
/ The colonists had barely passed
through the exhaustive and devastat-
ing wars with the Indians before they
engaged in the Revolution. That war
was surely as exhaustinR to our mea ger
resources aud as productive of hor-
rible conditions as can we'll be I'm.
agined, and yet within a very short
time after its close, we were on tho
verge of war with two of the greatest
nations Of the world. and finally wont
to war with one of them.
The War Between the States had
every element OF exhaustion and every
untoward effect which war produces.
and yet, at its close we took a posi-
! ton in @npport of the Monroe doc
trine which would ineyita bly, have
I brought on war with one of the great
4 nations Of the world II II had no,
4 yielded to our insistence
i History literally abounds with ax-
/ amples, without going further ha TX
I than tho era of the Napoleouic VIZ rs
we lind that the strain upon resources
and the horrors produced by war al !
not result in the avoidance of var
4 Probably as striking an example RS
any is the most recent--the Balkan
states have engaged in two wars with
in three years, straining their ma
teflai resources to the utmost and at
tended by all the horrors that war pro-
duces, and Notwithstanding that, some
u or. them are already engaged in she
present war, and there Is much dis
cnSslon IS TO whether others will not
also be so ensnged
\ The only conclusion that can p0s-
! sibly be drawn from the facts Is that
fhere Is no justification for the belief
I That because there has been war there
i WI be no more war.
/ There Will be those who believe and
assert that the time when war can be
avoided by negotiations or arbitva-
ton or other like means, win be adj
vanced IL we refrain from adopting
I a proper military policy. but will he
set back II we do so II is difficult
TO comprehend on what basis such a
; belief can reasonably rest, and there
/ tore 1t is difficult to reason about il.
4 II seems To rest upon the Idea that
i IL we are feeble and weak in action.
/ we will be strong and persuasive In
I counsel; that by avowedly neglectns
| TO prepare 10 protect our rights we
/ viii be tho better able to secure their
! protection by appeal. by arbitration.
! or by argument This is not so in
any analogous case, saiing only that
in which the patronizing recognition
OF weakness induces the strong to y.
stain from assaulting the weak. In
all other Instances, he who has taken
| up ms burden in n manly way, has
| seer his duty and has done it. is the
one who realizes the necessity of JUS.
/ uce, insists upon its being meted out
to Others. and secures 1t for himself
! NO one need have the slightest fear
4 that our voice for peaceful settlement,
! or the qnarrels or nations will receive
| any the less attention because we
stand for the right and are prepa red
to maintain 1t at any proper cost on
the contrary, the voice of such a one
Is always listened to and usually con-
| trolls
! There win be some who approach
the subject from the wrong end, and