The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1916-06-08
PREPAREDNESS AND
COMMON SENSE

Along Win thoukanus OF our cii
zens, ! am deeply interested in Il
question Of National defense. LII
them, am anxious TO know the fac
and 10 use whatever common sense
have in reaching n wise conclusion 9
10 what We ought TO do for our ow
protection. am not stampeded, an
] do not propose TO be, but do war
the United States TO take what pre-
cautions are reasonable In view Of III
facts. The situation looks 20 me lik
this.
Certain pacifcists assure US tina
Preparedness is useless because ther
is no danger Of war. Do they know
or are they merely asking us TO &C
eept their guess in matter whicl
vitally concerns the safety and wei
fare Of the Nation? Millions Of pacif
lists in the past have given the sans
assurance, and have been mistaken
Wars have come in spite Of them
England was full Of people who affirm
ed that the present war was impos
sible up 10 the very moment of its
breaking out, and who opposed witt
all their might any increase in arma'
ment until war actually began.
The United States has already had
five wars, each one Of which was un-
desired and unexpected by great num-
bers Of our people. For year past
our State Department has been occu-
pied with questions which might lead
10 war, What if our present pacifists
should in their turn prove to be wrong,
and war should come and find US un-
prepared? ? II is serious chance for
any Nation, this gamble on their opin-
ion, which the pacifsts are asking US
to take.
Preparedness is insurance against
war II is no militarism, and must
not be confused with it. MiIitarism is
making ready for aggressive war.
Any one who believes that the people
of the United States can be driven or
dragged in to aggressive militarism
must have forgotten the whole trend
of our history, and in particular our
recent voluntary retirement from
Cuba.
II is nonsense to say that our people
will plunge into militarism because
they prepare themselves in order to
discourage aggression. On that the
ory, no citizen should be allowed to
own a gun, because guns can be used
to kill people, or to insure his house,
lest insurance should bring on fire.
Here and there an extremist will
make excessive and ridiculous propos-
als for Preparedness or against it.
Such proposals should not be permit
ed to upset our judgment. They lead
nowhere. We waste our time discus
sing them. For us the extremes Of
and of non-resistence are
equally out of the question. In sober
fact, our final choice will lie not be-
tween any fantastic extremes, but be-
tween reasonable National defense and
an imitation of it that will fail in the
day Of trial--between moderate genu-
Inc Preparedness and sham. We
may prepare too little, but there is no
Aanger whatever that this county will
rush to the other extreme.
The pacifists assure us that such
training as the Swiss people
ire giving themselves endangers DEM !
,cracy, and that our young men will
,e hurt by learning to obey. But
neither democracy nor personal inde- /;
,endence have been injured in Swift
,rland, which is the most democratic 3
.ountry in Europe. Universal mill
ary service in New Zealand and Aus
ralia goes hand in hand with the most |
borough going labor-controlled dem
,cracy on earth.
France, whose military training is
ar more thorough than ours will ever 9
C. Is the living proof that an army t
an be a great democratic institution, .
nd that citizens trained to arms may 7
ossess the highest personal initiative o
nd intelligence. Germany can not be 4
frered as an example Of what military :
raining does to democracy, because
Germany has never been democratic. L
But even II all this were not true, it s
lould still be idle to make bogey OF a
niversa military service, because o
ven those who believe in it most d
earthly understand that it has no. a
he slightest chance Of being adopted. v
10 National leader in any political {
arty il asking for its adoption. II Is Z
Of an issue, and nothing less than the d
ressure Of actual invasion could make r'
an issue in the United States. fl
The American people have way OF G
,aching common sense decisions after 81
ng and often bitter discussion, li
here Is hope that this is about T. d
sppen in the present case The reas- =