Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-07-24
THE DUTY OF PREPAREDNESS TO-DAY


.The Imperial German government
will not expect the government of the
United States to omit any word or
any act necessary to the performance
of its sacred duty OF maintaining the
rights Of the United States and its
citizens and of safeguarding their free
exercise and enjoyment
Now amy act may include force.
II the government OF the United
States is not to omit .any act neces-
sary to the performance OF its sacred
duty" it stands pledged by this de-
claration Of the use of force If Ger
many persists in her attacks upon our
citizens travelling on Tie high seas.
Under these circumstances, with
matters in this condition, what ought
we, the American people, to do? What
is the duty of us as individuals: what
is the duty of our Congress repro
senting us in order to earff through
most safely and effectively the issue
with which our government is con-
fronted and to protect and yindicate
this priceless heritage of neutral
rights, OF which we are the heirs?
In the first place, what have other
neutral nations done when placed In
similar situation? On the news of
the invasion of Belgium, the Republic
OF Switzerland and the Kingdom Of
Holland at once. mohilized their
troops and guarded their borders. Ii.
has cost them heavily In time and
money and in the general sacrifice
OF their citizens, but today the front
iers Of these little countries are in.
violate, their honor is safe and they
stand before the nations of the world
as having done their uttermost to pro-
tect the rights of neutrality which
have come down to them and as hav.
ing adequately performed the CORES
ponding obligations which go with
those rights and by which alone they
have. in the past. been maintained.
Is our standard Of duty different In
measure or In kind from that which
has guided these other neutral coun-
tries? Is the right which in our case
has been violated less important than
the right which in their case was
only threatened? They were threat
ened with trespass upon their terri
tory, trespass which would probably
have been accompanied, as it was in
the case Of Belgium, with guarantees
against anything worse in case they
submitted to It With us, over one
hundred American lives have been de-
stroyed on the Falaba, the Gulflight
and the Lusitania. Assuming that
these countries acted prudently and
wisely in preparing to defend their
rights by force, our obligation is
greater than theirs in proportion, as
our right which has been infringed
was more sacred than their rights
which were threatened.
Unfortunately, we have but slender
foundations upon which to build po-
hey Of temperate firmness like that
of our felloW-neutrals. Upon the out
break Of the war they waited not an
instant to put themselves into a po-
sition of preparedness to meet its un-
certain future and many contingent
cies. Our course has been just the
reverse. Practically not one step has
been taken except to advertise to
the world our impotence. 1t is true
that in free country discussion of
preliminary to effective preparation.
But In our case we have had the dis
cussion and we have not prepared. An
earnest and capable secretary of war
last autumn urged upon Congress GER
tain moderate but Indispensable rec
concentrations He urged that our
little regular army should be increased
by an additional $4,000 men to be OBJ
tanned by recruiting our half strength
regiments upto full strength and read
mess; he urged that legislation should
be enacted creating an additional 1000
officers for this army. He called at
tention to our terrible shortage in
field artillery and ammunition. He
pointed out that we stood only four
teenth among the nations in our pro-
gress in aviation and that our forces
were virtually without the implement
which is the eye of the modern army
and in case of war, to use his striking
language. would be in position of q
blind man lighting against man with
sight. He made these recommends
items in report which. for clearness,
vigor and luminosity, was remarkable
among official documents. All of the
shortages which he mentioned had
been commented on many times by
his predecessors and were known to
every one who was familiar with the
subject Did t.ley make any impress
sion upon our Congress? That body
adjourned in March without having
needed q single one of his requests.
but on the contrary having treated
them with a disregard and 1 scant-