The Prescott daily news., 1915-01-27

i"iioy, we heep oil aglIatlng and talk ing about war, whether it be with la pan or with Europe, we many rest as sured that sooner or later we will bring it about; and our own head will be the curse. We are inviting the hostility of other countries by these suggestions of possible war, and we are to large extent overlooking the fact that Europe is engaged in a life and-death struggle which should com mand our deepest commiseration and our profoundest sympathy. This is no time to be trying experiments. even If we may in our experiments think that we are within our "leoal rights" in our dealings with foreign countries. The war on business for ten years was largely due to the fact that many corporations thought that they could do anything which was with in their legal rights even if in do- ing so they ignored public rights.
 It behoves us to recognize our res possibility to the world to uphold the worlds civilization "amid the wreck and the crash of worlds" beneath whose awful forces Europe's civiliza- tion must almost tremble unto death. We are big enough, and strong enough and rich enough to stand unmoved and unfretted by acts which at other times would justify different proce . dure. We ought to set the world an example of moral courage, of pa tience, and of freedom from irritation. We ought, moreover, to suppress the constant suggestions that are being made of war some day with Japan, because of Japan's power in the Pa citic Ocean. Japan has as much right to have Monroe Doctrine for Asia as we have for North and South Amer lea. Japan has given to the world a magnificent example of marvellous ma- terial development and of advancing civilization, a splendid illustration of maintenance of treaties and of the fulfillment of all. its obligations. It IS beneath this country's dignity and Christianity for it's papers or it's pub lie men to be constantly irritating Ja- pan by predictions of hostility.
 We have no right under the condi. tions now prevailing to flare up and assert wounded national pride or dig nity in dealing with Great Britain in our commerce. We are alone respon- sible for the shortage in our ocean tonnage. For years and years men have pleaded with Congress to per init the development of a merchant marine. Every effort to secure the building and the owning of merchant marine commensurate with our needs has been halted by unwise laws in- creasing the cost of operating vessels under our flag, and been bounded by public men and newspapers, who have gone wild at the very suggestion of a subsidy, despite the fact that all great ship-owning nations have subsidized shipping interests and have built them and maintained them by such means; 1; and despite the fact that formerly this nation, the states, counties, towns and cities literally subsidized the building of railroads as means of transporta- tion. Republicans and Democrats alike have been responsible for the defeat of every effort to develop our merchant marine. Neither one can call the other black; they have both been guilty, and the people and the newspapers back of them in this cam paign against merchant marine have been guilty to the extent that they have fought this movement.
 We have, therefore, no one but our selves to blame that there are not nough ships under the Amrican flag to carry our commerce. We are pay ing the penalty for our own wilful blunders. We cannot afford, by req scn of our own shortcomings. to un- dertake in the stress of the present moment to commit acts which so very nearly, if not entirely violate interna- tional law and international friend ship as to produce increasing irrita- tion to our foreign relations. Are we not, as nation. big and mighty as We are, acting in the petty way of in- sisting that the warning nations must so act as not to interfere with Mary Ann's going to school?"
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