South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-11-20
PREPAREDNESS.

While We haven't had the uproar
over the Ancona affair that we had
over the Lusitania, the incident is still
suggestive OF what probably would
happen. or at least might happen.
were we prepared" TO take it up.
On several occasions in the past
months. a lack Of so-called pre-
paredness. plus a safe and sane pres
ident, have been about the only things
10 keep US out Of the European con-
hict Maybe our preparedness
would have frightened the contending
powers int giving us no excuse for
taking sides" but we rather doubt
II.
Germany went TO war because she
was prepared for war. England has
been strutting around with chip on
her shoulder for years-but seeming
~ she was not so well prepared as
she pretended. and her bluff has been
called We may talk about pre-
paredneSs for defense" much as we
like. but defense" is a relative term,
and may even mean aggression for
defensive purposes, like for instance,
defending our honor" sucn as APP
pears TO have been somewhat smear
ed by the Lusitania and AncOna Incl
dents
None OF the statements from Vienna
and Berlin regarding the Ancona af-
fair have lessened the horror aroused
by that attack The legal facts are
still at issue. But even if technical
Justification can be shown, estopping
our government from protest or crit
icism. the moral aspect of the case
remains about the same
There was a peaceful ship. mount
ing no guns, carrying no munitions,
with a non-combatant crew and hun
dreds OF non-cOmbatant passengers.
The judgment Of the civilized world
has condemned in unmistakable
terms the sinking OF liners without
giving the passengers a fair chance
for their lives. The destruction Of TIE
ship itself could bring only the most
trivial and dubious benefit.
Germany and Austria both, for
their own sake. should stop quibbing
and. if the barbarous naval law justi-
fies them technically, should at least
apologize for the brutal way in which
their legal right was asserted. Thus
they may undo a little Of the harm
their submarine commander has done
them. It was "A great blunder, at
best. They might better have lost an
army corps
Would We be honor bound to bring
Germany and Austria 20 task, were
our army and navy of sufficient mag
nitude to justify our undertaking it.
IN spite of our pacifsm we are some
thing of "fghting-cOcks" when our
blood gets riled-we American peo-
pie are,-and we are not prepared to
say that defense of our honor would
mot just about now, be starting US on
the warpath If we were convinced
that We could make a go of it. We
still insist just as we did at the out
break of the war. that preparedness
even for defense. instead of being a
protection against war, is conducive of
war. Europe has proven it so. Pre-
paredness' is a breeder of jingoism
and jingoism is one of our great ma
tional dangers-great because it is al
so "a breeder of preparedness"
Happily, Pres't Wilson's prepared
ness program isn't likely to bankrupt
us. II is nothing more nor less than
our former seven-years' program
contracted into a fve-year program.
We propose TO do it little quicker
than formerly planned and that is all.
And that Col. Roosevelt. Congress-
man Gardner. and a few others of
such jingoist apostles consciously or
unconsciously-Of the arms and arma-
ment trust, should insist that the pres
ident is not going far enough, is
among the strongest recommendations
that his plan has. Preparation for
defense means preparation for war
whenever a president or a congress
sees fit 80 turn it into that channel,
and public opinion running amUck
as II did for a while after the Lusi-
tania went down. might very easily
turn the head of a president or start
"A congress on a rampage. The presi-
dent is wise TO put a brake on tina.
chance and congress should back d.
up.