Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-10-03
KEYSTONE DEMOCRAT
OPPOSES PREPAREDNESS
Representative W. W. Bailey Quotes
President and Declares United
States Has Higher Mission.

'Tnsidious and threatening propa-
ganda aimed at the Transformation OF
this country into a military camp"
This is the expression used by Repre-
sentative Warren Worth Bailey. demo-
crat, of Pennsylvania, in an interview
here last night. Representative Bailey
protests against the movement toward
great ornaments. He uses words from
President Wilson's utterances to back
up his own statements.
I'VE are at peace with the world"
said Representative Bailey. mo one
who speaks counsel based on fact or
drawn from a just and candid interpre-
tation of realities can say that there Is
any reason to fear that from any quar-
ter our independence or the integrity
Of our territory is threatened.
America Unafraid.
Dread Of the power of any other ma
ton we are incapable of. We are not
jealous of rivalry in the fields of COM
merce or Of any other peaceful achieve
ment. We mean to live our own lives
as we will, but we mean also to let
live.
concord. We should be jealous Of this
distinction.
Just now We should be particularly
jealous of 1t. because it h our dearest
present hope that this character and
opportunity. such as has seldom been
vouchsafed to any nation-the oppor-
tunity to counsel and obtain peace in
the world. and reconciliation and a
healing settlement of many a matter
that has cooled and interrupted the
friendship of nations.
This is the time. above all others,
when We should wish and resolve to
keep our strength by self-possession.
our influence by preserving our ancient
principles of action.
You say my words are familiar?
They should be, for they are borrowed
from a high authority-from none
other than President Wilson himself.
They sounded so good to me when he
delivered them before the House last
December that l have committed them
to memory and made them, in a sense,
my own, although I could not have
phrased the sentiment they convey
with such grace or with a force 80
convincing.
1T has been in the light and in the
spirit of the Presidents great utter
ances in his last annual message on
the subject of preparedness that l
have been striving with all my might
and with all the resources at my COM
mand to combat the insidious and
threatening propaganda aimed at the
Transformation of this republic into a
military camp.
Selfish Propaganda.
THAT this propaganda is sordid," Mr..
Bailey continued. there is conclusive
evidence. 1t is inspired by selfish in
terest; it is nurtured by those who ex-
pect to profit by the sale of armor
plate. powder. big guns, aircraft, sub
marines and munitions.
''Of course. do not mean to say that
all who favor preparedness are sordid
and selfish. The bulk of those who
have been carried away on this So
called patriotic wave are honest and
well meaning. They have merely suf-
fered themselves to be played upon by
those who are sordid and self-seeking
They are innocently lending character
and respectability to movement
which, without their sanction and sup
port. would shrfvel up and collapse.
L have not yet been able to bring
myself to believe that President Will
son has changed the attitude SO clearly
outlined by him last December. shall
not believe that that attitude has been
changed until he himself has made the
fact plain 1 still believe him to be
concerned in the great tasks and duties
Of peace, which challenge our best
powers and invite us to build what
will last: the tasks to which we can
address ourselves now and at all times
with free-hearted zest and with all the
finest gifts of constructive wisdom we
possess.
We shall not perform these tasks
and duties of peace If we commit our
selves to a policy of militaristic ex-
pansion. This is the thought which
has, determined me in my course of
opposition to the propaganda of pre-
paredness"