The Washington herald., 1915-08-18
A Shadow on the National Defense,

| Advocates of preparedness for the nations de
fense, who hopeful that an army and navy
budget of size unprecedented in time of peace
will be sent to Congress next December, or sooner
will read with inquiring, if not apprehensve
minds portion of the reply of the United States
to Austria-Hungary's appeal for an embargo or
the expectation of munitions-the very por-
tion which is most convincing in this country oi
| the necessity as we'll the justice and propriety
OF this nations in refusing to restrict such
explorations. The note to Vienna emphasizes the
historic fact that it has never been the policy OF
this country to maintain in time of peace a large
military establishment stores of arms and am.
munition sufficient to repcl invasion by we'll
equipped and powerful enemy. 1t has desired to
remain at peace with all nations and to avoid any
appearance of menacing such peace by the threat
Of its armies and navies In consequence of this
standing policy the United States would in the
event OF attack by foreign power be at the out
set of the seriously if not fatally embarrassed
by the lack of arms and ammunition and by the
means to produce these in sufficient quantities to
supply the requirements of national defense"
In no part of the note is there the least in
timatlon that this policy is to be abandoned in
whole or in part rather there is the frequent sug
Sestlon that it is to be maintained in the future
as steadtastly as in the past. For the note con-
tlnues: "A nation whose principle and policy it
is to rely upon international obligations and inter
national justice to preserve its political and terri
torIal integrity might become the prey OF an ag-
grcSsve nation whose policy ard practice it is to
increase its military strength during times of peace
with the design of conquest unless the nation at
tackled can after had been declared go into the
markets OF the world and purchase the means to
defend itself against the aggressor" These ex-
pressions must, of course, be accepted as repre-
scnng the views OF the administration as to what
the nations military policy is and ought to be;
and while they may be interpreted as merely re-
iteratng established policy that is opposed to
nent war footing, they may foreshadow disap-
is necessary for the national defense are not re-
strlctcd by any considerations OF the past
President Wilson and his Secretary of the
Navy have demonstrated that their .views upon
the military requirements of the country have
undergone change in the past year, while the
Secretary OF War needed conversion Recent
conferences and activities in the War and NAVY
Departments indicate that definite and probably
enlarged military program is to be submitted to
Congress; certainly there must he pronounced
forward stride to satisfy a rapidly growing and
crystalllzlng public sentiment. But if the pointed
references in the note TO Austria Hungary to what
our military policy is may be interpreted as en-
)odyng the ideas of the administration in general
IS to what it is to continue to be, then those
Americans who have been looking forward to
much greater and more formidable military es-
adjustment may well begin to curb their ex-
)eCtations