St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1916-01-12
An American Policy.

With a population of 1OO,OOO,OOO,
the fourth nation of the world in area
and possessing wealth $4,000, 600, 900
in excess of it's nearest competitor, the
United States stands today without a
definite policy for it's development at
home or toward the defence of its
citizens outside of its domains. True
1T has penned more fine words on the
rights of it's citizens during the past
year than in a decade past, it's presi-
dent has declared we are too proud
to fight, that citizens should remain
strictly neutral and that the Mexicans
should be allowed to shoot down
Americans at pleasure; but in all these
we find no plan or policy that self
respecting American can accept as
suitable for a nation like the United
States. The first requisite of the
times is a policy defined so the aver
age citizen will understand it and then
a consistent enforcement of that
policy.
The American nation should estab-
lish a system of defence that will pro-
tect it from attack by any foreign
power. Those assuming that the
Golden Rule is the safest policy for
US to adopt toward the rest of the
world should remember that today
there are nine nations Of Europe with
a total population over seven times
as large as that of the United States
at war. That solemn international
agreements have not prevented the
belligerent nations from ravaging Bel
GUM, from resorting to inhuman
methods of warfare, from violating
the rights of neutral nations upon the
high seas and the massacre of neutral
and non-combatant citizens on land
and sea. United States may exper-
fence still more serious and humiliat-
ing insults and injuries before this war
is closed than those already heaped
upon her. Even at the close of the
war the great wealth, the rich island
possessions, the great water way across
Panama or the tremendous undevel-
oped wealth of South America will be
a great temptation to the powerful but
INSCRIPTIONS nations now engaged in
war and this nation will not be free
from danger of disastrous attack. Not
withstanding the talk about someone
making money in constructing the
weapons of defence, the expense of
an army sufficient to police this coun-
this country should prepare an ade-
quate defence against any foreign
power. If neglected the next genera
ton may write into world history the
crime of the neglect and cowardice of
their fathers in producing high sound
ing phrases rather than long range
guns and effective warships.
Properly defended from outside at
tack it is the duty of the United States
government to return to policies that
will continue the mighty development
of its internal wealth. The products
of it's soil. the output of it's manufac-
tories, it's home and foreign markets
should be protected so they can enjoy
even greater development than the
past generation has seen. This of
course means a protective tariff and
the levying of revenue for the support
Of government on the foreign manu-
facturer rather than the American
who is producing wealth at home. The
mere statement of this fact is suf-
ficient
Foreign trade should be developed
by every legitimate means. To the
south of US lie twenty republics that
purchase immense quantities of for
eign made goods and who sell to us
more of their raw products than to
all the other nations of the world.
They offer great and profitable fields
for the investment of American CAPT
tai and would as soon buy of us as any
one if We would only give them what
they want and furnish them the same
credit facilities as other nations. This
should be secured and sufficient sup
ply of ships produced to handle the
legitimate commerce between the two
continents. Equal wisdom and enter
prise should be exercised in securing
in France and other countries fighting
Germany the immense trade those
countries had with Germany before
the outbreak OF the war. France
wants billions Of dollars worth of ag-
ricultural machinery and other steel
and iron products that Americans can