New-York tribune., 1916-02-15
THE STRONG MAN GOES
Garrison Cared More for His
Country than for Politics.

To tho Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: Your fine editorial in to-day's Tribune.
THE Strong Man Goes is aptly headed, and
m every sentence it hits the nail squarely
on the head.
Unfortunately, only those Of your readers
who have studied our military history and
VINO know from indisputable facts therefore,
the unsoundness of the militia policy" can
fully appreciate the fundamentals" over
which Mr.. Garrison and the President, Mr..
Garrison and Mr. Hay, Mr.. Garrison and all
who are afflicted with tho American Military
Blind Spot in their vision, disagree with no
hope of reconciliation.
Mr. Garrison we trusted. even If we did
rot agree with him in what "he was willing
or able advocate" # he did not go quite
far enough, he was OF the right track. lie
understood the difference between national
force and the state forces, between a fact
and an illusion. between a sound military
policy at least in essentials and a totally
unsound policy. Had Congress supported him
he would at least have laid foundation.
Evidently. he cared more for his country
than for politics.
Some few thinkers in this deluded country
vii! always regret that Mr. Garrison did not
advocate compulsory military training and
service. the only intelligent system. ulti-
mately the only democratic system. uti-
mately OF national defence; the system now
used by all other important democracies
except the United States. and notably by
France Switzerland. Australia Great Britain
alone Of all Europe does not know the value
of compulsory universal military training
Had she known its value Suyla Bay would
have been a victory; brilliantly conceived, IL
would have been properly executed, but the
Territorials militia bungled that brilliantly
conceived operation lost the chance to cut
off 100000 German-led Turks. and lost Con-
stantinople.
General Wood. of course. is our foremost
military thinker. Mr.. Garrison. however. is
the ono man who. a, Secretary of War. should
ave been listened to by Congress for what
does Congress care about General Wood? &?
Why. lool, you, General Wood is soldier,
That is enough TO damn him with Congress.
And Garrison? Not a soldier. perhaps. but. ia
the eyes Of Congress, almost as bad as
older" for he "listcned TO army officers too
much" What do soldiers know about our
military policy and about the kind Of army
We need? What does Garrison know. If he
"listens 10 army officers too much? There
les the irony Of our fate and our fate may
be decided by Congress. By Congress or by
Nr. Hay? DO the American people honestly
believe that Mr. Hay is to be preferred to
General Wood in deciding what our army
shall be like? Mr. Hay, who will not listen
even TO the President?
II We only had a touch just ono touch of
the British Constitution, II wc could only
somehow. under our own Constitution. call
now general election. rce.ect those Sena-
tors and Representatives who know what we
want IN this great nation Of ours true pre-
paredness and kick out the dull. slow. stub
born provlncials and mossbacks who seem
hopelessly prejudiced or hopelessly insin-
cere,
II this muddy-pated. chaotic, largely pork
barrel Congress cannot be leavened By such
real men as Champ Clark and Mann. Lodge
Gardner and others. a. distinguished from the
many who follow hitchin as he sulks in the
shadow OF tho galleries; If Congress AS a
whole cannot be goaded. prodded. scared into
legislation worthy OF the name IL will DO
come a byword, anathema, TO am awakening
people
And now that Garrison has gone. what will
be the effect of his going? Let us hope IL
will have good efect-a result far better
than we could hope FOR at first sight Let
Us hope that the great body OF the people viii
say: This looks ugly; this looks suspicious;
this looks like the honest revolt # a strong
wan. and a man who knows whereof he
speaks What Lindley VI. Garrison say.
must be substantially true. We trust mis-
sincerity; We believe, on lne ~nol., 90. ...s
judgment lie was not the Bryan type. When
Bryan left IN huf We said. Lucy" When