Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-11-09
POLICY OF PREPAREDNESS
Colonel Bryan DiSagfeeS With the
President.
WOULD PRESERVE OUR TRADITIONS
Former Secretary Of State Sounds Note
that Will Probably Have Weight in
tho Great Fight that is to be Wased
in the Next Congress.


the Great Fight that is to be Wasee
in the Next Congress.
Former Secretary Bryan came Out
squarely against President Wilson!
national defense plan last Friday in 6
formal statement in which he tool
issue with the presidents views as
previously expressed before the Man
haitian club in New York.
"A departure from our traditions;
a reversal Of our national policy a
menace to our peace and safety and
a challenge to the spirit of Christian
ity which teaches us to influence 9TH
ers by example rather than by excit-
ing fear" Is Mr.. Bryan's view Of the
national defense plans.
The former secretary Of states state
ment, which reiterates views he has
previously expressed on the subject
Of preparedness for war; was regarded
as the opening gun in the fight which
administration leaders expect In con-
gress against adoption Of the plan. Mr..
Bryan's statement says:
| II have read the presidents speech
at New York with sorrow and con-
Germ. He is doing what he believes
to be his duty and so long as a man
follows his conscience and judgment
we cannot criticise his motives, but
we may be compelled to dissent from
his conclusions. l feel 1t my duty to
dissent, and. as he has given his views
with clearness and emphasis those who
differ from him are under a like obli-
cation to express themselves with
equal clearness.
"He says that his position Is differ
ent from that Of the private individual
in that the individual Is free to speak
his own thoughts and risk his own
opinion. This sentence Is a little OBJ
scure. In so far as he expresses his
own opinion, he does not differ from
the private citizen, except that he
speaks under a sense Of official re-
sponsibility, but where a nations fate
is involved in a policy every private
citizen who loves his country and tries
to serve 1t Is conscious Of RESPONSE
bility. The president will not assume
that he is more deeply interested in
the welfare of his country than the
millions who elected him to be for the
time being their spokesman. And II.
as he evidently believes, he is giving
voice to the opinions Of his country
! men, he Is, Of course, anxious to have
them as frank with him as he has been
with them-how otherwise can he
know whether he represents or mis-
represents their views?
He has announced a policy which
has never before been adopted in this
country and never endorsed by any
party in the country and he has no
way Of knowing, until he hears from
the people, whether he has correctly
interrupted the will Of the public. His
appeal Is not to any party, but as he
says, to men Of all shades Of opin-
ion.' He asks for the hearty support
Of the country, meaning, Of course,
that he wants the support, provided
, the people favor the policy which he
has outlined. He could not, of course,
ask them to support a policy which
they did not endorse, especially II
they considered the policy dangerous to
the country.
From my view Of the subject, the
plan which he proposes is not only a
departure from our traditions but a
reversal Of our national policy. 1t is
not only a menace to our peace and
safety, but challenge to the spirit
Of Christianity which teaches US to
than by exciting fear.
1.-The president says that we should
be prepared not for aggression but
for Defense That Is the ground up
on which all preparation for war Is
made What nation has ever prepared
for war on the theory that it was pre-
pairing for aggression? 1t is only fair
to assume that the European rulers
who are involved in the present war
thought that they were contributing
toward the maintenance Of peace when
they were making elaborate prepara-
tions for defense 1t is false philoso-
ply, and being false, It inevitably lea
into difficulties. The spirit that makes
the individual carry a revolver-and
whoever carries a revolver except for
defense?-leads him not only to use 1t
on slight provocation but to use Ian
guage which provokes trouble. Speak
softly but carry big stick is one OF
the delusive maxims by those who put
their faith in force. There are two
answers to it-f1rst, the man who
speaks softly has not the disposition
to carry a club and If man with a
soft voice Is persuaded to carry club
his voice changes soon as he begins
to rely upon the club.
"If there Is any truth in our re-
ligion, a nation must win respect as an
individual does, not by carrying arms.
but by an upright, honorable course
| that invites confidence. and insures
good will. This nation has won it's
position in the world without resorting
to the habit Of toting a pistol or car
rying club. Why reverse our policy
at this time? The president himself
admits that there is no reason for
change. He says:
1.-The country is not threatened
from any quarter; she stands In
friendly relation with all the world.
Her resources and her self-respect and
capacity to care for her own citizens
and rights are we'll known And to
make the statement more emphatic he
adds: There is no fear among u.s.
III we were not threatened by any
nation, IL our relations with all nations
are friendly, If everybody knows that
we're able to defend ourselves if nee
essary and If there Is no fear among
u.s. why Is this time chosen to revolu-
tionize our national theories and to eX-
change our policy for the policy OF
Europe? Why abandon the hope that
we have so long entertained Of setting
an example to Europe? Why encourage
the nations Of Europe in their fatal