The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-05-31

VI We rail- 40 TO prepare then assurcdly
some day we or our children will have
utter cause to rue our folly.
Il wish especially to call the attention
w All people who may he momentaril,
mislcd by the statements Of the peace
AZ any price men, the professional
paciHsts Of to-day. to the actual re-
suits OF our policy of unpreparedness.
Twenty-two months have gone by since
ms war began. Nearly five years have
gone by since the evolution In Mexico
looscd on Americans In Mexico and on
Americans on our own side of the border
the forces of murder and misrule.
yet. during these five years we have
taken no efficient steps TO control the
situation In Mexico. and during these
twenty-five months. since the world
has been in such a cataclysm OF fear
and blood as never before in its history.
we of this republic. with literally as
founding folly, with n folly criminal
from the national standpoint. have re-
fused in any way TO prepare.
The professional pacifists said. and
even now say. that such preparedness
would have invited trouble with Mexico
and trouble with Germany and perhaps
with other Old Word Powers. Look at
the facts,
W kept ourselves helpless to do
justice to or for Mexico. we refused to
'''N ~ ~ my way w bIoNttt u
citizens in Mexico, or even on our own
side OF the Mexican border. We sub
mitted tamely to the murder OF our
men and the rape of our women. We
bore with spiritless submission o~utrages
upon outrages. until the number Of our
citizens killed mounted into the hun
dreds.
Yet so far from securing the good will
OF the MeNicans. his policy Of unpre-
p%aredness and OF tame submission to
insult and injury merely aroused both
their anger and contempt to such a de-
gree that we are now engaged In a
harassing little war along the border.
I'VE have not the forces to make
that war effective. We have actually
drained the coast Artillery from the
seaboard defence to serve as infantry
down on the Mexican border. This ma
ton Of 100. 900, 900 people. with a terri
tory as large as all Europe and more
wealth than any other nation In the
world possesses. has to strip it's scacoast
forts of their defenders and put these
defenders at work which they are not
trained to do. Even thus we are wholly
unable to make good our complete lack
Of preparedness.
Cuba for Example.
"If Mt the outset, n three years ago.
We had rcsolutely and with foresight
prepared IL net. and then. II necessary.
acted. In Mexico. HE country would
to-day be ns peaceful and prospcr"u,
as Cuba-where We actually did take the
very action I advocae for Mexico. II
the instant that the great war broke out
in July. 1914, our fleet had been modified
"A competent nan put at the head of the
Navy Department. our army put into
Vrpnar Trim and atoms taken hy Oslr rem
resentatives at Washington. both eNecu'
tive and le- islative. to show that w
were making ready TO meet any eNiscncN
that arose. there would have been ne
trouble of any kind with any belligerent
The professional pacitsts insisted thai
such lack Of preparedness on our par'
and the observance by us of that kind
of neutrality which consists In tame ac'
ceptance of injury from all sides woult
make us popular with all the conlbatants
and insure our well being.
'On the contrary. the only effect has
, been to earn for us the conterptuous dis
ike OF all the warning nations and 70
bring ue to the verge OF trouble witt
them. II we had prepared we woulc
3 rave saved thousands of lives ami ",
would have guaranteed our own peace.
The failure to prepare. the failure e
stand up for the rights Of ourselves and
Of others. the Welding to wronsdoirs
resulted both I'm deferring the day whcr
, II was possible for this nation to ac
1 as peacernaker and in bringing us meas
2 urably nearer to the danger of ourselvs.
icing involved in the conflict.
2 Weakness invites contempt. Weak
| ness combined with buster invites boil
= contempt and aggression. Self-resDectiu
strensth that respects the rights %
0 others is the only quality that secures
respect from others.