The Alaska daily empire., 1915-06-01
CURB guLlTARIsM

There seems to be no doubt but that the United States should modernize and increase the size Of her army. The experts seem to be agreed on this. war mad world may make considerable enlargement of the army and navy necessary More of Europe is en- eared in war now than ever before was fighting at time The peoples ot the old world are doing their worst to make it cear that twentieth century progress in many respects applies only to material thngs-that morally there has been little f any improvement since Che catacysm that preceded the dark It might be that to maintain national existence under such conditions 1t will become necessary the United States to pre- pare to defend hersel, against rampant old world bar barsm just as the trbazers of the past had to pre- pare to defend themselves against the red sayages of the plains
 Yet the United States curb at all hazards the military spirit We not permit ourselves to think of wars and armies and nayes the things of national
 life that are most important We must not trail behind che ambitions of statesman who said that if he were Go choose the manner of his death would be at the head of any army corps which he was leading into battle We must not permit our youth t6 be educated as was once suggested by this same statesman. that the first duty of every American boy is to learn to shoot straight so that he will be good soldier and be able to kill men, We must not forget that the settlement and development of the New World was the result of protest against mtarism. absolutisim and aristocrocy even more than on account of religious intolerance We must not forget that the greatest American victories have been the victories of peace. We must not cease to teach that the biggest thing connected with the Civil war-our greatest armed conact-was that almost immediately the surrender Of Gen. Lee the Grand Armies were dsbanded. and their members return ed to che blow the shop and the office to make yli hood in the ayocatons of peace and to develop conti uent reducing the national sodiery to 25.eoo men.
 There are many influences that We must guard against we would keep the ship of state pointed sead- fasty toward the star that served well the goal of our people for the 300 years since the settlement of America. There are men with whom war is profes- sion who view the world from professional standpoint. and adventurers who like to play where life or death are the stakes and these two classes are the cleanest and best of the mitarists but they must be per mted to run away with public opinion there are brag gars bigots and swashbucers who see in war oppor- tuntes for personal nooriety fame and they are she least harmful of the mitarists because the most redcuous. there are calculating iingoists who would indame popular opinion political purposes and for personal profit and they are the most dangerous for they appeal to capdity and selshness and greed and other breeds of miarsts martaling them into organ zed forces for war against the common good The in gosts include partisans who appeal desire for par san success. they include office seekers who appeal 10 others who desire gain office matter by what means; they include worst of a those who desire to make monetary profit from contracts to make ships
 rom contracts to furnish military supplies from the Notation of bonds and the manipulation of all manner of military appropriations and funds.
 It the United States is ever to have another war it is Important beyond measure that it be such war as have been the have had in Che past. war conducted part by American eitzenry, and not by 9 mnitarisu-a war machine. We might lose some thing n efficiency but it win be mcye than made up in