The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-01-26
FRANK Il. HOWE, Editor and Pull
Tuesday, January &c, 1915.
CONGRESSMAN GREENE


House on that day, Mr.. Greene has
before Joined in debate, but this was
his first set speech since he has been
i'm Congress and he was given cor
dial hearing and applause by his fell
low members. Ills speech is too long
TO reproduce in The Banner but the
following is from the first part OF his
"Mr. Chairman, this question of nat.
ional defense is most fascinating one
to anyone who is lover of history
and who delights to dwell upon the
philosophical deductions that may be
made from time to time, each in his
own way, from the events and lessons
of history, as he reads them and as ne
understands them. The temptation TO
anyone discussing this question TO try
to delve down into some OF these len
sons of history and 10 substantiate
the general contention that perhaps
in many respects the country Is not
altogether prepared for war is almost
irresistible But | appreciate the
temper OF the House and, hope, in
some sense of the fitness of the oc-
casion, and / shall ask for your more
detailed consideration OF some obsery-
atoms that | may have to offer If you
will do me the kindness to read at
your leisure what | may put into TIT
Record.
We who think that the country is
not altogether prepared-and, mind,
hope you understand | am speaking
from the viewpoint of moderation and
not as an extremist or an alarmist-
those of us who think the country is
not altogether quite prepared for Wa.
have to face two kinds of arguments,
broadly speaking, made by two kinds
of people, one Is made by people
Who say that there win never be an
other war; another Is made by people
who say that while war may come. If
II does it will find us prepared for II.
/ think the first OF these arguments
Is the hardest kind to meet. because,
with all respect TO the intelligence
the high order OF learning that gener-
proponents Of that argument, | do not
think they read correctely the lessons
of history u there is any one thing
true o. the Lessons Of history as the
average insn may study them, it is
that through the mighty succession OF
events that have come down the ages
the same old thread OF self-interest
may be discerncd always and every
where In the doinasiof men and in the
doings OF nations
Sometimes that selfinterest seems
TO be enlightened, sometimes It APP
pears TO be OF progressive enlight-
ened character. but, with or without
the adjective enlightened II is al.
ways "self-lnterest.
One of the phaZes of the argument
made by our friends along this line,
that we shall never have another war.
Is predicted on an altogether too OPP
timistic expectation of the mllenni-
UNI. With all honesty of purpose.
sincerity, and patriotism, they specu-
late on the dawn Of that happy era
when nations shall beat their swords
into plowshares and their spears into
pruning hooks They forget that
the nation that has most practically
beaten its swords into plowshares
and its spears into pruning hooks and
has best taken advantage of these
new tools to gather up riches for it.
self has fashioned theee plowsharee
and pruning hooks so that they can
be taken at once back to the forge
and beaten once more into the old
swords and spears In time OF need
[Applauso.l
There is no such thing as some
thing for nothing. A civilization that
is worth living for Is worth dying for
But when people arrive at super
Tor stage of civilization. exemplifed
externally by social and commercial
development that makes for the jeal-
ously OF other nations, then if they
win not die for their civilization they
may rest assured they will die with
1t. Applause.
! think we ought to bear in mind.
too, the fact that we are building
here in this generation not for our
selves alone. We ought not TO pass
only specifically on the questions
that sometimes possess tremendous
potentialities. We are laying the
foundations for the future, and we
are bequeathing legacy of some
kind or another to our children. whet
her il may be for good or for evil.
Some man who reads the pages of
history few generations from now
will be able to see more clearly than
we do chat what we did in the House
today perhaps was the reason why
our children's children of rs years
from now, il may be, either enjoy the
most abundant prosperity or else are
plagued with one of the most aw.
full misfortunes ever told
We are always, consciously or UNI
consciously, seeking the interest OF
our children, and in just such pro