Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-06-24
PAHEONESS IS
CAUSE Of WARS;
DECLARES BRYAN

Washington, June 17.--AsscrtinG that
preparedness provokes rather than pre-
vents war and that the upheaval in
Europe was result of the fact that
might makes right" former Secretary
BRYAN to-day, in the second of his series
of three statements on The Causeless
War submits an argument against mill
tary preparation by the United States
and praises the course of President Viii
son in the international emergency.
If any nation is without excuse for
entering into n mad rivalry with the bel
ligerent nations in preparation for war,
Tit is the United States" said Mr. Bryan.
we are protected on either side by
thousands of miles # ocean and this
protection is worth more to us than any
number of battleships.
| I'VE have an additional protection in
the fact, known to every one that we
Fhave the men with whom to form an
army of defense, if ever we are attacked
and it is known. also. that we would
have the money too--more money than
we could have had if all the surplus earn
Iings of the people had been invested in
armament. We not only do not need adj
ditional preparations. but We are for
tunate in not having it, since it seems
! impossible for a nation to have what
! is called preparedness without having
along with it a disposition to use its
preparedness at the slightest provocation.
PREPARED NATION FIGHT.
The leading participants in the pres
ent war are the nations that were best
prepared and fear that it would have
/ l, -
if we had been as we'll prepared as they
Lucky for our nation that We have in
the White House at this time a President
who believes in setting the old world a
good example instead of following the
bad example which it sets in this matter.
What an unspeakab misfortune 1t would
have been if, in such an hour as this, this
nation had been under the leadership of &,
president in1a.med by the false philso-
ply which has plunged Europe into the
a byss OF war"
In the preliminary discussion of the
cause of the European conflict Mr.
Bryan in lengthy analysis of the situa-
ton argues that it is not war Of right,
religion. or families. and declares:
''1f l have correctly analyzed the sit
uation the war is the natural result of a
|
cept of this false philosophy that is, that
might makes right"
Leading up to this argument against
preparedness for war by the United
States, Bryan says
Half the energy employed in pre-
pairing for war would effectually pre-
vent war If used In propagating the
principles which make for peace
INSTEAD of preventing war. pre-
paredness provokes war, because it is
impossible to Coerce the people into
bearing the burden incident to con-
tinuous and increasing preparation
without cultivatinG hatred as if 1t were
n natural virtue. There must be some
one to fear; some other preparing ma
lions that must be represented as plot
ting for war,
Each step taken by one nation
toward more complete preparedness ex-
cites the other nations to additional
purchases and new levies until all have
exhausted their productive industries
and menace their moral progress.
The doctrine that preparedness will
prevent war will not stand the test OF
, logic and the conflagration in Europe
: shows that it fails when tested by e"
: lpcrence."