The Washington times., 1915-01-31
Oscar King Davis Declares People Are Blinded by
Feeling of False Security Because of Isolation;
/ Nation Now in Extremely Delicate Sit
uation Because of European Strife. ~ "~
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: Continued from First Page.)
giorified has faded and the might in
which we rested secure has rusted with
disuse. .. A
Garrison Sounds Warning.
The American people are neither war
like nor aggressive. Our schemes are
schemes Of peace and not Of conquest.
In his altogether admirable discussion
Of our present situation, embodied in
his last report, Mr.. Garrison, the Sec
retary Of War, thus clearly and with
striking force presents the case:
every one desires peace. Just as ev-
fection. sufficient means for comfort
able existence. and other similarly
beneficent things. But peace and the
other states Of being just mentioned
are not always. or even often, solely
within ones own control.
Those who are thoughtful and have
courage face the facts Of life, take les
sons from experience, and strive by
wise conduct to attain the desirable
things. and by provision and precaution
to protect and defend them when OBJ
tained.
1T may be truthfully said that eter-
nal vigilance Is the price which must be
paid In order to obtain the desirable
things Of life and to defend them"
Should Wake Up All Americans.
Mr.. Garrison forcibly enunciates a
truth which ought to drive ho{he to the
consciousness Of every American citizen.
We all desire peace. but peace is not
wholly within our own control.
When any other nation desires war
with us and is ready for it war will
come. whether we like it or not, and
whether We are ready for It or not. For
We cannot control their actions. AS MIR.
garrison ga ris; well says; eternal vigilance is
But there are great many persons In
the United States who seem to proceed
upon the theory that just as long as We
do not desire to make war with any
nation there Is no DANGER that we shall
This theory is based either upon a
willful disregard Of the facts Of our his
tory or upon a woeful Misunderstanding
Wars do not "just happen" There is
a great deal Of loose talk about "spon-
taneous combustion" in connection with
the origin Of wars. but the searching
analysis of history inevitably reveals a
controlling measure Of deliberation and
lisible.
The Jameson raid in South Africa
might easily have precipitated war be-
II 1t had that war would have been
largely accidental, although only in
the time Of its occurrence.
British Sought Boer War.
When the Boer-B British war did come
It was through the deliberate action Of
Great Britain.
The British government. after pro-.
longed consideration of the situation in
South America, reached the definite
conclusion that the government Of that
territory under the Boer system was an
determined to put an end to 1t: At
least that was the public explanation of
its motive made by Great Britain.
m many places there was a strong
suspicion that the, real British motive
was desire for the possession Of that
rich territory: in other words, Great
Britain was actuated by desire for ter
ritorial aggrandizement.
But II that were true it rather en-
phasizes than detracts from the propo.
sition that a reasoned intention, and
not an accident" brought OH that war.
Prussian Wars Deliberate.
I. The Prussian wars of 1866 and 1870
against Austria and France, respective
ly. come clearly under the head OF de-
liberate aggression. But nevertheless
there was in each OF them an underly-
which naturally forced that aggression.
1t was the great idea OF the German
empire.
! The Russo-Japanese war OF 1so4-Oi
grew out of a conflict between funda-
mental economic interests. Undoubted-
ly 1t was fastened somewhat by Rus
sia's action in preventing Japan from
securing Port Arthur from the Chi.
Japanese war in 1895, and in subsequent.
ly taking 1t for heCSef.
But when Russia secured The lease OF
Port Arthur from the Chinese she was
merely proceeding in accordance with
the great economic urge that has been
pushing her for so long toward warm
water and an ice-tree port.
Russia Crowded Japan; War.
Blocked in her ambition to secure
such port in the west. she turned
to the east. and Immediately came into
conflict with the interests of Japan
Just as previously she had been in con-
flict with the interests OF various pow
ers in Europe.
Japan had a population Of $1,000. Ooo
living in a territory about the size
Of the State of Montana. And she
was increasing about $4,000 a year by
the excess OF births over deaths. The
pressure OF population inexorabiy de.
manded an outlet.
And when Russia undertook to move
OIL IIOIN FOTI kATLHuT lHIO SOTcA sue
inevitably forced Japan to war. The
conflict was avoidable only upon the
supposition that in some way Russia
could be persuaded peacefully to acan.
don her Far Eastern enterprise. The
unacceptable alternative was war.
Spanish War an .."Accident."
But mere accident" may neverthe.
less play an extremely important part
III bringing on actual conflict at arms
where in other ways the relations be-
tween two nations contain the elements
of possible war.
Past question it was the fortuitous
incident of the blowing up of the bat
tleship Maine in the harbor Of Hav-
ana on February 15, 1898, that precip-
itated our war with Spain. 1t was that
disaster. more than anything else. that
fired the blood of the American people
and hardened their temper for war
Up to that time there always had
been the possibility that the slow and
painful processes Of diplomacy would
yet find way Of reaching an accepta-
bic agreement with Spain.
Similarly the intrusion of Russia
into the affairs Of Japan over Port
Arthur in 1895 hardened the temper
of the Japanese people toward Russia
and set the subjects and government
OF the Mikado to the task of deliber.
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