The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-08-26
SINGLE ARMY
CORPS COULD TAKE NEW YORK


CORPS COULD TAKE NEW YORK
AT present a single army corps
from Germany. or Japan twhich. If
suhtracted from the efficient fghting
forces OF either would not even be
feit) could at any time be ferried
across the ocean and take New YORK
or San Francisco. and destroy them
or hold them to ransom with abso-
lnte fu1punfty, and the United States
at present would be helpless TO 90
more than blame some scapegoat TOT
what was really the fault of our peo-
- ME as "a whole In failing to prepare In
advance against the day of disaster.
"But the professional navy and the
professional army are not enough.
Free citizens should be able to 90
= their own fighting. The professional
Il ,,a cif,cist Is az much out of place In
4. = democracy az .s the porfroon MIN"
eeyf and he is no better citizen than
The poltroon Probably no body OF
citizens in the United States during
The last five years have wrought go
suff4ciently for national deCadence and
Information degradation as the probes
sionai pacineists, the eace-at-any
price men who have tried TO teach
our people that silly all-inciuslve
arbitration treaties and the utterance
of fatuous platitudes at peace CON
crosses are substitutes for adequate
military preparedness. THESE people
are seeking TO Chinafy this country
A high Japanese military ONCE re-
Gently remarked to gentleman oil
my acquaintance that the future 90
Is r,iu,on over t.he seas and lands of the
Pacific lay with Japan. because China
was asleep and America was falling
asleep. and in this world the future
iav with the nations of patriotic and
y holdt~riy spirit II the United States
1 were to follow the lead of the pro-
/ yessional pacifcists and 10 permit 1t
self 70 be Chinaied. this observer
eptnion would be quite correct.
/ wANTON OR UNJUST WAR
HORRIBLE AND ABHORRENT
at Is an abhorrent thing to make
/ d wanton or an unjust war lt Is an
Hbhorrent thing TO trespass on the
rights of the weak. But II is an nuer-
iy contemplate thing 10 be nnaoie
and unwilling to fight for ones own
rights in the first place. and then. II
n Possessed OF sufficient holiness OF soul.
10 fixht for the rights of the weak
who are wronged. The greatest ser
: vice that has ever been rendered
n mankind has been rendered by the
d men who have not shrunk from right
-
Y righteous peace, hy soldier statesmen
4 81 the type o. Washington. by states
a men of the type of Abraham Lincoln,
whose work was done by soldiers.
The men OF the Revolution and the
4 g1nen of the Civil War and the women
:S2 who raised these men to be soldiers
SSnre the men and women TO whom we
awe a deathless debt of gratitude.
This means that all our young
= men should be trained so that al need
IA lhey can hght Under the conditions
u 81 modern warfare il Is the widest
q nonsense TO talk of men springing to
a arms in mass unless they have been
III Taught how 10 act in mass and how
N 10 use the arms to which they spring.
III For thirteen months America has
n played an ignoble part among the ma
vs. Hons. We have tamely submitted to
Nj peeing the weak whom we had cove
@ hanted to protect, wronged We have
III eeer, our men, women and children
"a murdered on the high seas without
81 Action on our part. We have treated
%A elocttion as substitute for action.
Y During this time our government has
III ret taken the smallest step in the
M way OF preparedness 10 defend our
own rights. Yet these thirteen
n months have made evident the la
e. nentabie fact that force is more dom
Nj fnant now In the affairs OF the world
5@ Than ever before; that the most pow
81 erfui OF modern military nations Is
8 utterly brutal and ruthless In It's dis.
# regard of international morality, and
s% that righteousness divorced from
81 force lie utterly futile. Reliance upon
Atrh sounding words, unbacked By
e@eAH y proof Of mind that dwells