The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-05-09
Chief Executive Is Inter- viewed at White House by Committee From Union Against Militarism
HELPLESS NATION
 WOULD BE IGNORED IN SUCH A CONGRESS
Wilson Points Out Differ ence Between Militarism and Preparedness = No Danger of Latter

Washington, May Slope that at the end of the present war the nations of the world would undertake a joint effort to keep the peace, backed by common police force, was expressed by President Wilson today in an interview with com mittee of the American Union Against Militarism, which called to protest against his preparedness programme and advise hin that they had found a fear of mili- tarism in the country west of the Ale ghenies.
 The President told his callers that helpless nation would be negligible in a conference to establish the foundations for peace. He said there was differ ence between preparedness and militia rism, that the country was in no danger of the latter, and, in response to ques- ton declared that compulsory military training was not contrary to American tradition.
 The committee insisted that on account of his office the President most fre- quently addressed audiences from the upper classes and that the response he received upon the proposal to increase the military was misleading as to the true sentiment of the country.
 IS VAST DIFFERENCE
 The President said in part:
 We should carefully discriminate be- tween reasonable preparation and mili- tarism, because, if you use the two words interchangeably then, of course the rea' sonable things that we ought to do take on a wrong and sinister appearance and we seem to be working for the wrong things when we are in reality working only for the right. The traditions of the country have not been those of 8, military helplessness, though they have been those of anti-militarsm.
 q should say that it was not incon- sistent with the traditions of the coun- try that the people should know how to take care of themselves; but it is inconsistent with the traditions of the country that their knowledge of arms should be used by governmental or ganization which would make and or ganize great army subject to orders, to do what a particular group of men might at the time think it was best to have it do. This is the militarism of Europe. where a few persons can de- termine what an armed nation is to do. That is what I understand militarism to be, But a nation acquainted with arms is not militaristic nation, unless there is somebody who can by an order determine what they shall all do with that force. I think we ought to be very careful not to let these differenct things seem as if they were the same
 When you come to ask how much preparation you can make, that surely is matter of judgment, and I do not see how you can find an absolute standard upon which to determine that question. Take Mir. Eastman's sugges- tion that we might have some arrange ment by which the border of Mexico can be patrolled. There are not men enough in the existing American army to patrol that border. That is the mere physical fact. With things at sixes and sevens in neighboring country, as in Mexico, and everybody apparently a law unto himself there are not men enough to safeguard that border: and yet it is obviously the right thing to do to keep the disorders of one coun- try from flowing over to disturb the peace of another country. That is not militarism; that is necessity.
 Now, let us suppose that we have
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