New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-04-03
SAYS j. s. HAS
CHIP ON SHOULDER
With War Every Is Years,
Gardner Adds, Country
Should Prepare.
INSISTS BOTH ARMS
ARE NOW IN SLING
HiIlquit, Socialist, In Debate,
Urges Nation To Be
Peace Power.

Congressman A. P. Gardner, of Mas
sachusetts, and Socialist Morris Hill
quit, Of Utopia and New York, had q
no-dccision debate last night in Car
negie Hall on tho question Of whether
the United States should bristle with
guns AS preventive Of war, or whether
we should, as Hillquit put it, centre
our ambition, our hopes and our as
pirations on making our country he
first great peace power Of the world"
He threw in as an incidental part Of
this dream the use of our army and
navy maintenance millions to bring
about an era for ourselves of industrial
and social perfection.
"The Monroe Doctrine Is the only safe
plan for the United States said Mr..
Gardner, vino recently assailed our pc
icy of appropriateness in Congress. 1--WE
can't afford 10 have any European pow
or establish a military basis in this
hemisphere.
Take, for instance. the case of Cor
many, bursting with population. She
has found an outlet in Brazil, but Ger
mans are dissatisfied with the rule
there. However, if the Germans tried
raid on that country, as the British
did in their jamestown raid In South
Africa, it would mean that the Father
land would have q fight with the
United States on its hands.
1--WE have looked the japanese In the
eye and said, we will have no more
of you here That's a first class doc
trine also. But we can't support il
with third class feet.
Some people say we arc a peace
loving nation. Why, there was never
more peppery nation in history. We
have had war every twenty-five years
of our existence. Why. right now We
are standing with chip on each Shout
Ger and both arms in a sling"
Admitting the day Of the submarine
had come. be said our submarine feet
is hard to find, and he cited The Trb-
une's exposure several months ago
that OF our seventeen underwater
boats on this coast only one was fit
for service.
81 am here 10 advocate the prepare
ton of the United States against war"
he said. "There is difference be-
tween being prepared for war and
against war. Germany was prepared
for war, and she made war. Switzer-
land was prepared against war, and
has escaped it; Belgium was prepared
neither for nor against war, and war
overwhelmed her.
81 want to see the United States
equipped with a big enough navy to
make us safe against any nation, in
Guiding Great Britain. and don't care
how much il costs. To stihe the mar
tial spirit is folly. 1t is organized
anemia. II breeds nation of vassals
Every nation without a martial spirit
has been oppressed-the martial spirit
has been the saving grace of mankind"
II we grant Mr.. Gardeners premise
that this country is in danger of war,
Hilauit said, his argument was UNI
assailsble. But he said he refused to
admit there was any such danger. The
main causes Of the present European
war, he said, we're artificial political
boundaries, historical grudges, COM
mercial rivalry, imperialism and mill
tarsm.
These factors are lacking in the
Onltod states. no Splh- ptrauSe We are
economically self-suficient, a united
federation of states, without dangerous
neighbors on our boundaries, and re-
mote from the other great powers Of
the world, which could not invade US
across the eXnanse If oceans.
The gospel of our awakening mill
tary patriotism would be amusing" he
said, "if IL were not dangerous. The
propaganda for increased ornaments
is the gravest menace. promoted by
sordid economic interests | refer to
the armor ring. The Carnegie steel
corporation il extracting millions from
this country for the purpose Of war"
To put the country on a basis Of
preparedness so that it could really go
to war with other nations would mean
a tax Of about SIS year on each fam
lily. or about one-sixth of the income OF
the average working man, he said.
This and similar sentiments brought
for Mr. Hllquit from the strongly
socialistic audience all the best of the
applause.