The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1915-12-22
w. A. JAMES COMES BACK.
Sets Forth More OF His Views OH Pre-
parcdness and Misery Which he
Thinks Will Attend.
Editor Daily Item.

Editor Daily Item.
. While the navy league" has thou
sands contributed by munition people,
at it's command to press their prepar-
edness campaign, we poor stand-pat-
ters have to call on our friends to get
out views before the public and so I
come pleading for q little more space
in your widely circulated publica-
ton.
To begin, must say that your
scripture can hardly apply, as Jesus
was only using it to illustrate that he
was not casting out devils by the
power Of the devil.
AS to Mr.. Warren's scripture. 1 will
say. that / am now trying to render
unto Caesar" that is to rule diligent-
ly" by looking after my political inter
est. '--'
We are admonished to live peace
ably with all men so far as in us lie,
and it appears to me, that it would
be one Of the blunders of the age to
express our fighting side and expect
the other fellow to do the gentle talk
For a century now we have trans
lcended greatly by good the evil we
have. committed, and it will readily
appear if We call to mind the present
to China, the friendship Japan. the
help to the starving Russians, Ital-
ians. British, Indians and Irish and
also the work of our missionaries
abroad where we find hospitals and
schools all over the whole world. >
With one act we bless mankind,
and the next we are to. express our
belligerent side; what philosophy!
I an a general welfare man. If it
could be shown where such a step. as
spending five hundred millions for
hideous engines of destruction Will
help the people Jesus loved, i. 9. the
fcommon people, 1 would be more than
willing to see it so thu ough.
While the plain folk are up let me
say that of each dollar of value in
our common country two individuals
own GO cents of it and SO individuals
own 40 cents Of it. Twenty per cent.
Of this country's school children are
underfed. Workers are out Of jobs on
an average of one-fifth Of their time.
Thirty-1ye per cent. of the wives and
mothers are forced to work to help
to support the family, and so it
strikes me that we should expend our
energies doing good as we find oppor-
tunity.
1 read somewhere lately of
tchurch with 60 members contributing
$500, for foreign missions. Now that
membership can be depended upon to
eschew the very appearance of war
because they have exhausted them
selves doing good. During the revo-
lutionary war congress would not al
low recruits to enlist for more than
six weeks at a time. SO fearful Of a
fstanding army were they
| Napoleon, Wellington, Washington,
Grant and Sherman all expressed de-
testation of war, and did not We too
"a few months ago heartily decry the
very suggestion of preparedness. But
now even after that brave man Hob
son, has been retired to private life
we find great spirit abroad in the
land, fooling the very elect leading on
| think to the ruin Of our common
wealth. and in the language of anoth-
er, 'If these unscrupulous molochs of
misery and death cannot be muzzled
and forbidden to feast in glee on the
dead and dying men in war. We can
but expect greed and gold to keep the
world in conflict"
w. A. James.