The Alaska daily empire., 1915-07-29
CLAYTON SPEAKS
 ON ARMAMENT


 No one who has read the history of the past will deny that when an individual or a nation is ready and prepared for something, that some thing will come. To a heightened state of preparedness may be attri. buted the present world war"
 So says Dr. P. P. Claxton. United States commissioner of education. who is in Alaska on official business. His recent speech in Seattle on the subject; Lessons America may learn from the War in Europe" d.. lustrated his views.
 q am not one of these men who demand peace at any price" said Dr. Claxton. But ] do believe that with Q system of education we can do away with war The nations of Eur opes for instances since August l. have expended eighteen billion dol lars in this great conflict. Is there not some manner that they may pay eighteen billion dollars and prevent such conflicts?
 Valuation Of Italy
 "The valuation of the little king. dom of Italy-all its lands. it's build ings. its railroads, farms and real es tate. the wealth of a country which has grown for 5000 years. is but twen- ty billions of dollars. If Italy had sunk completely beneath the sea. the loss to the world would not have been much more than one years warfare. And when ] say that the war has cost eighteen billion dollars, do not mean the loss of property. the loss of cities burned. the loss of life which might produce vast sums. nor the loss occasioned by having 2O.OOO.O00 men under arms and away from pro- ductiye work-these are not includ- ed. Eighteen billion dollars is but the cost of running the war Stads. ticians and those who know. tell us that it the war continues another year the cost will increase from % to 30 per cent.
 Prior Go the war abroad there was less talk among the Europeans of war than there was in this coun. try, with it's trouble in Mexico. Yet Germany had between 100000 and 500 900 men under arms-prepared: and France had between 6OO.OOO and 70O.- O0O; Italy, the same and England the largest navy in all the world. The mental attitude of every country's leaders was centered on war and its preparation.
 Present War Came Rapidly
 "The present war came more rapid ly than any in the history of the en- tire world What has happened in Europe teaches us that 1t is impossi- ble Go prepare for the invasion. of other countries, without those coun- tries invading Rome was one of the first examples of this fact Another lesson which is taught lies in. the fact that war is not prevented by making it either more costly or more dangerous with the modern machines of death. England has not yet used and yet moro than 4,- 100000 men are enlisted under her colors. though all of them are not at the front Making war costly has no influence with even the most pru- dent of business men when their pas sions are aroused.
 With the money the United States spent last year in its preparation for war. wonders could have been ac- complished. In schooling we could have established a great national uni. gersity. with an endowment of $1O.OOO poo. Or we could have established a in every state of the Un- lon. with an endowment of S1.000.00o five schools in technology. with an endowment of Sf00.OOO; five normal schools. with an endowment of S1oO poo each; thirty county agriculture schools in every state, with an en- iowment of s15.oo0 yearly; 100 new high schools. and could have provid- ad for 3.000.0OO children at the kin iergaten stage.
 Could Buy All Text Books.
 Besides these things we could 1