Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1916-06-13

There IS none other like it in the
whole annals Of mankind, OF men gath
ering out Of every civilized nation of
the world on an unused continent and
building a policy exactly to suit them
selves, not under the domination of
any ruling dynasty or the ambitions
Of any royal family, doing what they
pleased with their own life on a free
space Of land which God had made
rich with every resource which was
necessary for the civilization that
meant to build up. There is nothing
like it,
" Now, what we are preparing to do
is to see that nobody mars that and
hat being safe itself against inter
ference from the outside, all Of its
force is going to be behind its moral
idea and mankind is going to know
that, When America speaks, she means
what she says heard q man say to
another 'it you wish me to consider
you witty, | must really trouble you
TO make joke. We have a right to
say to the rest Of mankind if you
don { want to interfere with MS, if you
are disinterested, we must really trOu-
Bile you to give evidence of that fact.
" We are moi seeking any selfish end
and we want the whole mighty power
bf America thrown lfnto that scale
and not into any other. You know
that the chief thing that is holding
many people back from enthusiasm for
waat is called preparedness is the fear
Of m1litariSm. / want to say 4 word
to you Young gentlemen about mill
tanMr. You are not miltarist be-
cause you are military Miiitarism
does not consist in the existence of
an army not even in the existence of
n very great army. Militarism is al
spirit. Ii is a point of view. 1t is,
q system 1t is purpose.
1.-THE purpose of militarism is tOI
use armies for aggression. The spirit
Of militarism is the opposite Of the
civilian spirit the citizen spirit. In
country where militorism prevails,
the military 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 80 long as America is America,
taat spirit and point Of view are i'm
possible with US. There is as yet in
this country, so far as l can discover,
no taint of militarism
Officers But Citizens First
@ You young gentlemen are not pre-
ferred in promotion because Of the
families you belong to, You are not
drawn into the academy because you
belong to certain Influential families
You don come here with long ira
dition Of military pride-any Of you
You are picked out from the citizens
of the United States to be that part
of the force of the United States
which makes its policy 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 Amer
lean citizens and tne idea want to
leave with you boys today is this;
No matter what comes, always re-
member this, first Of all, you are cit
izens of tile United States before you
are officers and that YOU are Officers
because you represent in your particu'
lar profession what the citizenship Of
the United States stands Tor.
"Thefe is 10 danger Of militarism
if you are genuine and l for one do
not doubt that you are. When you be-
gin to have the militaristie spirit, not
the military spirit-that is all right,
then | begin to doubt whether you
are Americans or not.
''You know that one thing in which
our forefOthers took pride was this,
that the civil power is superior to the
military power in the United States.
Once and again the people oil the Unit
ed States have so admired some great
military man as to make him pres-
dent of the United States, to be com.
mander in chief Of all the forces Of
the United States; but he WAS com
mander in chief because he was presi-
dent, not because he had been trained
to arms. and his authority was civil,
not military.
To Enlighten the World
81 can teach you nothing Of military
power, but ! am instructed by the con
stitution to use you for constitutional
and patriotic purposes. And that is
the only use you care to be put to.
Taut is the only use you ought to care
to be put to, because, after all, what
is the use in being an American if
you don know what it is.
You have read great deal in
the books about the pride of the old
Roman citizen who always felt like
drawing himself to his full height
when he said u am q Roman but as
compared with the pride that must
have risen to his neort, our pride has
a new distinction, not the distinction
of the mere imperial power Of great
empire, not the distinction Of being
masters of the world, but the distinc-
tion Of carrying certain lights for the
world that the world has never so dis
tiuctly seen before, certain guiding
lights of liberty and principle aud jus
tiee.