Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-06-14

iworld on ar unused continent and
building up polity exactly to suit
themselves. not under the domination
Of any ruling dynasty or Of the am
billions OF any royal family; doing what
| they pleased with their own life on a
free space OF land which God has
made rich with every resource which
was necessary for the civilization they
might want to build up. There is
: nothing like it, Now what we are pre-
pairing to do is to see that nobody
mars that. and that. being safe Itself
against interference from tho outside
/ all its force is going to he behind
| It's moral ideas. and mankind is going
! TO know that when America speaks
she means what she says. 1 heard IL
man say to another. If you wish me
to consider you witty. must really
trouble you to make Il joke We have
! a right to say to the rest Of mankind
/ III you don't want to Interfere with
US, If you are disinterested we must
really trouble you to give the evidence
OF mat fact We are not in for any
thing selfish. and we want the whole
mighty power Of America thrown in
that scale. and not into any other.
FEAR Of MILITARISM
RETARDS PREPAREDNESS
You know that the chief thing
mat is holding many people back from
enthusiasm for what is called pre-
paredness is the fear Of militarism
want TO say word TO YOU young
gentlemen about mlitarism. You're
not militarist because you are mill
tary Militarism does not consist in the
existence of an army, not even in rxist-
ence OF very great army. Militarism Is
Il spirit. 1t is point OF view. II is
system. II is n purpose. The pur-
pose Of militarism is to use armies
for aggression. The spirit of Mill
tarism is the opposite of the civilia IN
sDirit-the citizen spirit. a country
"hcre inilitar!sm prevails, the mill
tary man looks down upon the civilian,
regards him as Inferior thinks of him
as intended for his. the military man s
support and use and just so long as
America is America that spirit and
point OF view is impossible with us.
There is as yet in this country. so far
as can discover, no faint of the spirit
of militarism.
You young gentlemen are not pre-
TERED in promotion because of the
families YOU belong to. You are not
drawn into the academy because you
belong to certain influential circles.
You do not come here with Il long ira
dition Of military pride back of you.
, You are picked out from the citizens of
the United States 10 he that part of the
! IOTCe OIL the united states when makes
it polity safe against interference.
You are the part OF American citizens
who say to those who would interfere:
You must not and You shall not
But you are American citizens and the
idea want to leave with you boys to-
day is this: No matter what comes al
ways remember that first OF all YOU are
citizens Of the United States before you
are officers. and that you are officers be-
cause you represent in your particular
profession what the citizenship OF the
United States stands for.
There is no danger of miltarism II
you genuine Americans. and l., for
one, do not doubt that you are. When
you begin to have the militaristic
spirit--not the military spirit that Is
all right-then begin to doubt whether
YOU are Americans or not.
CIVIL POWER SUPERIOR
TO MILITARY POWER
You know that one thing in which
our forefathers took pride was this.
that the civil power is superior to the
military power in the United States.
Once and again the people of the
| United States have so admired some
great army man as TO make him Pres
ident Of the United States when he be-
came commander-i chief of all the
forces Of the United States. but he
was commander n-chief because he
was President not because he had
been trained TO arms. and his author
ity was civil not military. can
teach YOU nothing Of military power.
but l am instructed by the Consti-
tuition to use you for constitutional and
patriotic purposes. And that is the only
use you could be put to. That is the
only use you ought 10 care to be put
to. because, after all. what is the use
in being an American If you do not
| know what it is.
You have read great deal i'm tho
books about the pride OF the old Roman
citizen who always felt like drawing,
| himself to his full height when he
said, I am a Roman but as COM
pared with the pride that must have
risen to his heart our pride has a new
distinction. not the distinction of the
mere imperial power of a great empire,
not the distinction of being masters OF
the world, but the distinction of carry
ing certain lights of the world that