South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-03-18
CONGRESSMAN GARDENERS
SOPHISTRY.

Whether or not it is permissible to
comment or an address of speaker
before the Knife and Fork club-un-
less you comment favOrably-a privi-
iege that seems To have been with
drawn "a couple of years ago. when ex-
Gov. Richard Yates of Illinois. had
held the boards for a night. we beg 10
indulge in this bit OF license:
We are inclined To wonder just now
many of the banqueters Tuesday even
ing. who SO generously applauded con-
gresham August T. Gardner. of
Massachusetts. are really anxious TO
go to the 'front.' and manipulate the
guns that the speaker so urgently de
manded should be built. making of
themselves "a target for the foes that it
might encourage
II is easy enough for-men. like the
congressman. To usaIse the eagle
scream. and To bless bloodshed for
others than themselves. anticipating a
safe distance for their own carcasses.
Do might be "a comparatively easy way.
though expensive and uncivilized. for
cutting down if not eNtinguishing the
army OF unemployed. since IL Is the
workingman and the farmer boy that
does the most of the lighting. bat we
wager that 4 the question were put
up Co the men who are blowing the
horns OF war. that they were actually
20 be forced 90 do the lighting them-
ELVES. there would be less blowing
But this is not the main query with
regard 20 the address. If we under
stand il CORRECTLY L was perhaps the
most sophisticated piece of oratoyy
that has been applauded i'm south
Bend fer some time. 10y am unsophisti-
Gated audience. Take this for single
mouthful:
ann not advocating prepared
ness Ter usr but preparedness
ssJinst war Being prepared for
war is entirely different than be-
ing prepared against war. Ger
many prepared for war and
Switzerland prepared gainst it,
Yes. and 10 was cheered. for what
we do not know. in the light OF the
apparent purpose of the utterance,
which was 20 urge a larger navy and
q greater army-seemingly presuming
chance 70 notice or recall that Swift
erland's preparedness against war
has been absolutely in the direction
of disarmament. and in line with all
those pacific measures that Congress
man Gardner condemns 1t would
look as though he were seeking 10
misappropriato Switzerland's fine sue
cess. claiming it as an Endorsement of
armament, under some brand of false
pretenses. switzerland is exactly the
example toward which the United
States is working i'm it's efforts 20 pre-
pare against war. and any pretense
that would point TO the contrary. can
bee for no other purpose than jingoistic
demagoguery.
Same with the Efforts of the con
gresham 10 lift the noisome olamor
for "preparedncss" from the arma-
ment-makers and place il on the
shoulders OF the people. The people
may have been humbugged into plead
ing the cause of the armament-mak-
ers through such press agencies Of
the Army and Navy league. and ditto.
such statesmen as Congressman Gard
ner, and the newspapers that distrib-
ute their rawlings. IL may be the
people OF Italy and Greece that are
clamoring Tor war over Ia the leyant.
but IL is not the people Of the United
/ States over here in the occident. their
i asscmbiaEes about the bulletin boards
a year ago when trouble was brewing
with Mexico. Notwithstanding You
can't judge what the people want in
their saner moments. by the uproars
in which they indulge in the midst
of alarms.
We are prepared against" war.
The best preparation ia the world. of
that sort. Is 20 De able 20 maintain a
level head and not allow the enthtsi-
tsm OF "profteers' 20 get away with
our judgment Maybe treaties are of
but ugtle account bat they have
| served 90 keep This government out ~
4 lot Of trouble during the past hum