New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-05-28
To the Editor Of The Tribune.

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: Along with thousands Of our citizens
7 am deeply interested in the question OF
national defence. Like them, am anxious
TO know the facts and TO use whatever com
mon sense / have in reaching a wise CON
clusion as to what we ought to do for our
own protection. am not stampeded, and
do not purpose to be- but / do want tic
United States to take what precautions are
reasonable in view Of the facts. The situa-
ton looks TO me like this
Certain pacifsts assure Us that prepared
ness is useless because there is no danger
of war. Do they know, or are they merely
asking us to accept their guess in matter
which vitality concerns the safety and wei
fare Of the nation Millions Of pacifsts in
the past have given the same assurance and
have been mistaken. Wars have come In
spite OF them England was full Of people
who affirmed that the present war was i'm
possible up TO the very moment Of its break
ing out and who opposed with all their
might any increase in armament until war
actually began.
The United States has already had five
wars. each one of which was undesired and
unexpected by great numbers of our people.
For a year past our State Department has
been occupied with questions which might
lead to war What if our present pacifsts
should in their turn prove TO be wrong and
war should come and find US unprepared? Il
is a serious chance for any nation this
gamble on their opinion which the pacihsts
are asking as 70 take.
The pacifsts assure US that such military
training as the Swiss people are giving them
selves endangers democracy. and that our
Young men will be hurt by learning TO obey
But neither democracy nor personal indie
pendence has been injured in Switzerland
which is the most democratic country Of
Europe. Universal military service in New
Zealand ana Australia goes hand in hand
with the most thoroughgoing labor-con-
trolled democracy on earth.
France, whose military training is. far
more thorough than ours will ever be, is the
living proof that an army can be great
democratic institution and that citizens
trained to arms may possess the highest per
soud initiative and intelligence. Germany
cannot be offered az an example OF what
military training does 10 democracy, because
Germany never has been democratic.
The American people have way of reach
ing common sense decisions after long and
often bitter discussion. There is hope that
this is about to happen IN the present case
The reasonable advocates OF national defence
and the reasonable pacifsts seem TO be on
the verge Of reasonable agreement Of
views. For example, the papers Of April %
report that Henry Ford said, In an inter
view given in New York, II believe in rea-
sonabe preparedness" and 81 wouldn't object
TO an army Of, say, 100000 men" Less than
week before this statement Of Fords ]
hsked Colonel Roosevelt what he would con
slider reasonable preparedness. He replied;
"The second navy in the world and an army
Of 100000 men,
In this case pacifst and advocate Of pre-
naredness are in agreement as TO the size
of reasonable army. An army Of 100000
men means one soldier 20 about 40 people
There s one policeman for every 4l6 people
in Philadelphia and one 10 every 429 people
In New York To me, az least, an army Of
that proportionate size carries with II no
threat that mlitarism Is about 10 over
whelm democracy.
As 20 the navy. from 1905 TO 1909 our nav
was the second in the world. Having il Sec
ond did not endanger democracy then. / see
no reason why DO should endanger democracy
now.
So far as am aware, no one familiar with
naval affairs believes that submarines and
mines at sea and guns on land without
feet can be depended on to defend coast
like ours The whole teaching Of the present
war shows that they cannot German sub
marines. 10 is true have succeeded In pre-
venting any increase in the British merchant
marine by destroying vessels about fast
as new tonnage could ae added. But that
IS al they have done. They have not even
threatened much less endangered, the SUI
Dremacy of the British fleet. 10 Is the Brit
ish feet which keeps England safe from in
vasion. just as our fleet must keep us safe
q will not do. however. 20 forget that
genuine preparedness includes far more than
arms A navy and an army are not enough.
In modern war nations Ugh. not alone with