The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1915-01-06
MORE ARMS TO HASTEN
PEACE.

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MORE ARMS TO HASTEN
PEACE. -,
Several bills have been introduced
in Congress to prohibit the sale OF
arms and munitions of war by this
country to European belligerents.
In support of these bills it is said
that if the United States would close
its door on the English demand for
war munitions, England would be
powerless, and France and Russia
would be SO crippled that they could
not prolong the, war for ninety days.
In other words the closing of the
war here intimated would mean the
triumph of German arms, and Ger
man supremacy.
Noone who has watched the course
of events, since the beginning of this
great struggle of nations can be lack
ing in admiration for Germany as a
compact homogeneous fighting ma
ehine. Unquestionably she is a
giant among nations. But the very
fact of her preparedness for war,
which is the result of nearly half a
century of training and providing,
argues .premeditation. Whatever
the German motive in this war, she
cannot claim innocence ola full share
in bringing on the difficulty. This,
however, is purelya European ques-
tion with which the United States is
not concerned. What the United
States IS concerned in is the earliest
possible conclusion of the war.
In the very nature of things, Ger
many will be. reduced. She is sur
rounded on all sides by hostile coun-
tries, and entirely shut off from the
coast. Frugal and patriotic a are
the few civilians left in her factories
and on her farms, they can do little
more than maintain the civil popu-
lation. So when German store
houses are exhausted, peace will soon
be in sight. 1t is a cold blooded and
more or less selfish viewato take OF
the war situation, to say that there is
no solution in the near future but
the defeat of Germany, but it is a
fact. If after two or three years of
struggled Germany should tire out the
allies on land, even then in so. far as
the United States is concerned, the
struggle will have been only half
over. The war would then center on
the high seas and its effects would be
more disastrous to this country than
itcan possibly be as now conducted.
While people of the United States
need not waste any sympathy on
England on account of her suffering
for the protection of her weaker al
lies, notably the Belgians; if Eng
land needs American guns and mu-
nitions of war, let her Pay the price,
and let her have them by the ship
load. To deny them is only to pro-
long the struggle. Citizens of the
United States are entirely within
their rights in manufacturing and
delivering arms and munitions OF
war to any belligerent nation, so
long as they assume the risk in de-
livery. Under the rules of neutrali-
ty, this does not in any way involve
the government. 1t is true that
President Wilson stopped the ship.
ment of arms to either belligerent
faction in Mexico, but this was done
with the intent that with insufficient
/ arms they might wear each other out
with less loss Of life.
In Europe conditions are different.
Germany has reduced war to q sci.
ence and until her storehouses are
empty, she can resist the world.
She cannot prevail in the end, and
yet the war is prolonged by every
step that the allies retreat before hel
armies. Of course the Germans have
the same right to buy arms from this
country that the allies have. That
they do not need them is their good
fortune orlthat they cannot get them
because of EnglSnd's etFoi,o Of the
Atlantic, is their 10 June. s.
long as this cqYkuntry do lot: violat
international 2aw in allowing its citl
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