Daily Kennebec journal., 1916-09-01

tho blood Of our troops. took possession;
and now has our armed forces in control
Of Haiti and directing Its government
His course Of action in Haiti can pe oe-
Tended only II his course OF acton en- IN
Mexico is unqualifiedly condemned; TOT
such action was far more needed IN Mex
CO than in Haiti. But there was oineI-
ence in the two cases; ana 20 Mr. WHsva
er than Mexico. No one was afraid OF
Haiti. 40.
II is not q pleasant task to point out
these lamentable failures tn our foreign
policy during the last few years. II they
were unimportant to the nation, II they
only affected Mr.. Wilson personally
would gladly keep silent about them. II
they were isolated and exceptional,
would pass them by. But they are typi-
cal of the policy Of drift to which THIS
nation has been committed during these
great and terrible years when we have
needed Mt the helm q frmer hand than at
any other time since the Civil War. II
the policy Of drift Is sanctioned oy the
nation, and is permitted Tor suhcien'
length Of time. we shall surely face ma
tional shipwreck.
We are told that the mass OF the voters'
the mass of the American people, VIII
approve the policy Of the Administrator,
the policy Of drift, the policy of spineless
failure to do our duty to ourselves and to
others because they believe in safety
first" Such being the case, 1t is worth
while examining just what safety or
safety first" means, and how Tar a poll
cy based only on considerations of safety
is materially advantageous and morally
Justifiable.
To treat safety as an Indispensable
element of any continuous national policy
is eminantly proper. 1t is indispensable to
wisdom that we shall shape our military
policy so as to make ourselves-our home
country, our canal zone. all our islands
absolutely safe against successful at
tack by any great European or Aslauc
military power To this extent safety
comedies with duty. But this ultimate
safety in the future is to be obtained, not
by shirking. but by performing, our duty
in the present. When President wilson
two years ago assured the American ma
ton that there was no need for prepared
ness, no need for worry about our mill
tary shortcomings, no need for self-sacri-
fee and effort In order to make good
these shortcomings, he was sacritcing
our future safety to considerations OF
momentary political popularity obtained
by pandering to popular desire for the
enjoyment Of material ease, and the
avoidance Of effort and of serious FACING
Of duties Mr.. Wilson then put safety
first" as compared to duty; but he put 1t
last as compared to momentary enjoy
ment Of ease and material pleasures, and
70 Co that
this was exactly the reverse of what ne
ought to have done. I hold that 1t is our
clear duty to sacrifice some OF our pres
ent ease and soft enjoyment of material
things in order to guarantee our future
national safety. I hold that we should
provide for the ample safeguarding of the
heritage which our fathers left us ana
which our children should receive from
us undiminished. ] therefore believe. as
I have before said, that not only should
we provide a big and efficient navy and
a small and efficient regular army, but
that we should also provide for system
of obligatory military training Of our
Young men. on the Swiss and Australian
models. With all my heart believe in
insuring the safety that can only come
through the full performance of duty, by
the exercise of courage and forethought
under the compulsion Of high sense OF
honor and patriotism.
Wilson for Unworthy Safety.
But this is not in the least what Mr.
Wilson's advocates mean when they ask
us to support him, because he and they
are for safety first" They are for the
unworthy safety that is merely obtained
by the abandonment Of duty. They are
for the momentary safety which short
sighted men secure when they purchase
escape from present risk and effort at
the cost of future disaster. They are for
the safety" of each man to spend his
time in money-making and in fiabby ease,
at the cost Of remaining unframed and
unfit to render service to the nation in
the nations hour of need. They are for
the mean safety which this nation Sc
cured when it treated The Hague Con-
ventions. which it had signed. like scraps
Of paper and declined to make even a
protest on behalf Of tortured Belgium.
They are for the safety this nation tenn
porarily secured by tame submission to
the murder Of it's men, women and chill
dren on land by Mexican bandits, and at
sea in the Lusitania and similar cases by
German submarines. This kind Of safety
first means duty last, honor last, cour-
age last do not believe in 1t. / believe
that it is obtained at the cost of moral
degradation in the present and at the
risk Of national ruin In the future.
In Maine there are many seafaring
folks. l can illustrate what l mean about
the use and abuse Of the word safety by
the Nfe-saving service. This Is a service
especially designed to secure greater
safety for ships crews and generally for
persons whose lives are imperiled on the
water 1t is service to secure safety.
But the safety Is secured only because
some brave men are willing to risk their
| own lives in order to save others lives.
They do not put safety first" as far as
they themselves are concerned. If they
did. no lifeboat would ever be launched
| from q ife-saving station. But the men
on sinking ship who crowd into the life
| boats ahead Of the women and children
do put safety first" I will say this for
them. however: When they get ashore
they do not wear buttons to commem-
orate the feat-as some Of our opponents