New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-01-21

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mind as regards national defence.
"Ihc first Of these matters Is not TO
mistake names for facts. Peace Is not
a question Of names. Il Is question
T Of facts III murders occur in CITY,
and u the police force Is so incompc-
tent that no record Of them - made
officially. that does not interfere with
/ the fact that murders have been com
mittcd and that life is unsafe. IN JUST
/ the same way. IL lives are taken 10y Nl"-
lcncc between nations, 10 Is not OF the
slightest consequence whether those
responsible for the government OF the
nation whose citizens have lost their
/ lives do or do not assert that the ma
! ton IL az peace.
During the last three years we have
been technically az peace. But during
those three years more % our citizens
have been Killed by McXicans. Germans,
/ Austr;ars and Naytians than were
killed during the entire Spanish War
IL T., true that the American citizens
Killed during the last three years have
been mostly non-combatants. including
women and children. although many
men wearing the national uniform
have also been killed, some Of them
/ on American soil But the fact that
women and children are Killed. instead
Of fuli.grown men In uniform, surely
increases. instead Of diminiShos, the
horror.
Much Property Destroyed.
"Wc have had a great many more
citizens Killed during this time of al
legged peace. and thanks 20 the activi-
ties 81 the emissaries of foreign gov
ernmcnts with the torch and the bomb
on our own soil, We have had much
more American property destroyed
than was the case during the open war
with Spain: and whereas no beneht
whatever has come from this loss OF
life and destruction Of property during
,he last three years. the short war with
Spain brought incalculablo benefits 10
Cuba. Porto Rico and the Philippines
not TO speak Of ourselves.
"On February II !: will he year
since The time when we notified Ger
many that in case any Of our citizens
were killed we would hold her 20 a
strict accountability; and during these
eleven months The passenger ships
sunk by German or Austrian sub
marines in defiance Of our warning
have jncluded among others the Falaba
the Lusitania. the Arabic. the Hes
porisn. the Ancona, the Yasaka, the
Vile de Ia Ciotat and the Persian.
They were British, Italian, Japanese
and French.
MANY hundreds Of Americans were
among the passengers, and q couple oil
hundred Of these, including many
women and children, were killed; IN
total deaths on these ships since March
last amount 90 between 1900 and 2,lOO.
The camraien against them has been a
campaign Of sheer murder, on vaster
, scale than any INDUCED in IN like
+ time by any Of the oldtime pirates OF
the Indian Ocean and the Spanish
Main.
Wars Toll Is Smaller.
"Now. the total number Of lives of
ron-comhatants. including many hun
dreds Of women and children, thus
taken exceeds many times over the
aggregate 10 all the sea fights OF the
War of 1912 both on the American and
on the British side. Ii is over double
the number Of lives lost by the British
sailors in Nelson's three great VIC
tories at the battle of Trafalgar, at the
battle of the Nile and the battle of the
Baltic combined. Il much exceeds the
total number of lives lost in the Union
navy ana, indeed, in the Union and
Confederate navies combined during
the Civil War.
That is. this nation has been
peaceful during the last year, while
peaceful ships on which its citizens
were sailing lost a larger number Of
lives than we lost at sea in the entire
war Of 1912. and that we MI icted a. ga
in the war Of 1912 much greater loss
than Faragut's feet suffered in the
aggregate n al. its victories, greater
loss than Nelson's fleets suffered in his
three great victories. If any individual
finds satisfaction in saying that, never.
theless, this was peace and not war,
10 is hardly worth while arguing with
hIl, for he dwells in land OF sham
and OF make-belieyc.
"Of course, incidentally. We have
earned contempt and derision by our
conduct in connection with the hun
dreds of Americans thus killed IN time
Of peace without action on our part.
The United States Senator. or Governor
of a state or other public representa-
tive, who takes the position that our
citizens should not, in accordance WIN
their lawful rights, travel on such
ships. and that we need not take &C
ton about their deaths, occupies a po-
sitior precisely and exactly a. base and
as cowardly and ] use those words
with scientific precision as II his
wife's face was slapped on the public
streets and the only action he took was
TO tell her 10 stay in the house.
Defence Is the Remedy.
"Tyerv man who is both intelligent
and patriotic must therefore advocate
preparedness, thoroughgoing and ade-
ouate. and therefore the willingness 70
incur the necessary expense Tor hAanc-
Ing preparedness.
NEARLY eighteen months have gone
bv since with the outbreak or TINS
war II became evident 20 every man
willing 70 face the facts that military
and naval problems and international
nroblems Of every kind were infinite
~ more serious than We had had res-
son TO believe, that treaties we're
absolutely worthless 10 protect any
nation unless backed BY armed force
and that the need Of preparedness was
Infinitely more urgent than any man
i'm this country had Up 20 that time
believed The belief that pdbuc op'A-
ion or international public on'n on IN .
hacked bv force, had the slightest effect
in restraining a powerful military ns-
ton in any course Of action u chose
to undertake was shown to be pa
thetic falacy." ,.-, ,