New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-06-14

another: If you wish me 70 consider
YOU witty must really trouble you 10
make a Joke We have right TO say
10 the rest of mankind: If you don't
want to interfere with us. If you are
disinterested, we must really trouble
YOU TO give the evidence Of that fact
! We are not in for anything selfish and
we want the whole mighty power OF
America thrown into that scale and
not into any other.
Nature of Militarism-
"You know that the chief thing that
is holding many people back from en-
thusiasr. for what is called prepared
ness is the fear Of militarism. want
70 say a word TO you young gentlemen
about militarism. You're not mill
tarist because you are military. Mill
tarism does not consist in the exist
ence Of an army, not even in the exist
ence Of very great army. Militarism
is a spirit. II is point Of view. II
is a system. II IS a purpose.
"The purpose of militarism is 20 use
armies for aggression. The spirit of
militarism is the opposite of the civil
ian spirt-the citizen spirit. In
country where militarism prevails the
military man looks down upon the civ
ilian. regards him as inferior, thinks
of him as intended for his, the mill
tary mans, 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 coun-
try, 80 far as / can discover, no faint
of the spirit of militarism.
you young gentlemen are not pre-
ferred in promotion because of the
families you belong 70. You are not
drawn into the academy because you
belong TO certain influential circles
You do not come here with a long
tradition of military pride back Of you.
I GU are picked out from the citizens of
the United States 70 be that part of the
fierce of the United States which makes
Its pollty 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 10 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 Off
GERS because you represent in your
particular profession what the citizen
ship Of the United States stands for.
There is no danger of militarism if
you are genuine Americans, and |, 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 you can begin to doubt
whether you are Americans or not.
Civil Power Supreme.
"You know that one thing In which
our forefsthers 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 80 admired some
great military man as to make him
President Of the United States, when
he became commander In chief of all
the forces of the United States; but
he was commander in chief because he
was President, not because he had been
trained to arms, and his authority was
civil, not military. | can teach you
nothing Of military power, but | am
instructed by the Constitution TO use
you for constitutional and patriotic
purposes. And that is the only use
you care to be quito. That is the only
use you ought TO care to be put to, be-
cause, after all, what is the use in
! being an American if you do not know
what il is?
you have read a great deal in the
books about the pride of the old Ro-
man citizen, who always felt like draw
ing himself 10 his full height when he
said 4 am a Roman But as compared
with the pride that must have risen to