The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1916-06-03

democracy on earth.
France, whose military training is
far more thorough than ours will
ever be, is the living proof that an
army can be great democratic in.
stitution. and that citizens trained to
arms may possess the highest per-
scnal initiative and intelligence. Ger.
many can not be offered as an exam
pie Of what military training does to
democracy, because Germany never
has been democratic.
But even II all this were not true,
Il would still be idle to make bogy
OF universal military service, because
even those who believe In 1t most
heartily understand that 1t has not
the slightest chance of being adopted.
No National leader in any political
party is asking for It's adoption. u
Is not an Issue, and nothing less than
the pressure OF actual invasion could
make 1t an issue in the United
States.
The American people have a way
OF reaching common sense decisions
after long and often bitter discussion.
There is hope that this is about to
happen in the present case. The roa-
sonable advocates of National defense
and the reasonable pacificists seem
to be on the verge of a reasonable
agreement of views. For example,
the papers of April 23 report that
Henry Ford said, in an interview
given in New York; II believe In
reasonable Preparedness" and Il
wouldn't object to an army of say
| $50 900 men" Less than a week be
fore this statement Of Ford's, J asked
Colonel Roosevelt what he would con-
slider reasonable Preparedness. He
replied: "The second navy in the
the world and an army of 100000
men. +"
In this case, pacifist and advocate
OF Preparedness are in agreement as
to the size OF reasonable army.
! An army of 100000 men means one
soldier to about 43O people. There
is one policeman for every il6 people
in Philadelphia and one to every 42s
people in New York. To me at least
an army of that proportionate size
carries with II no threat that mill
tGrisrr is about to overwhelm democ'
racy.
AS TO the Navy. from 1906 to 1909,
our Navy was the second in the
world. Having it second did not en-.
danger democracy then. see no
reason why it should endanger dem.
Ucracy now.
So far as | am aware no one fami-
liar with naval affairs believes that
submarines and mines at sea and
guns on land. without fleet, can be
depended on to defend ii coast like
ours. The whole teaching of the
present war shows that they can not.
German submarines, it is true, have
succeeded in preventing any increase
in the British merchant marine by
destroying vessels about as fast as
new tonnage could be added. But
that is all they have done. They have
not even threatened, much less endan.
gered, the supremacy of the British
fleet. 1t is the British fleet which
keeps England safe from invasion,
just as our fleet must keep us safe.
1t will not do, however to forget
that genuine Preparedness includes
far more than arms. A navy and On
army are not enough. In modern
war nations fight not alone with
weapons, but with all their natural
resources, with their industry and
transportation, and above all with the
patriotic devotion of their citizens.
Rounded National Preparedness on
modern lines works not only toward
securing peace. but also toward max
ing this country a better place to
live in for all of us when peace has
been secured. The great natural re-
sources, like coal, iron, copper, and
water power, are the raw materials
OF prosperity as we'll as the raw ma
terials OF National defense. They
must be made available 70 the use
Of the people both in peace and in
war. But above and beyond all else,
we must have a country defended
against attack from within and with
out by equal opportunity and social
justice-a country whose people VIII
stand by 1t because 1t has stood by
them.
Let no man imagine that because
he lives inland he is safe from In
Jury by war. The capture of New
York or San Francisco would break
the routes OF trade and the resulting
dislocation OF business would be felt
In every home in the land. Farmer