Arizona republican., 1916-05-31

to take any steps in our own defense; that the capitalists of the world, be-
 cause high finance had become inter nationalized, would never permit great war; that the opinion of the civil | ized world was enough to stop all in- ternational outrages. This was only two years ago. During these two years we have seen the most destruc-
 tive war in all history waged on wider scale than ever in history before. Never before has there been such slaughter as has been compressed into the last twenty-two months; and, alas, that it should be written, the brutality, the ruthlessness, the disregard for In Iternational Law, and the callous and
 calculated atrocities committed on non- combatants. including women and children, have been such as the civil ized world has not even approached during the past century.
 Two years ago the false prophets who said that there never would be
 another war were applauded by all our
 people who were wholly absorbed in
 money getting; by all who cared only
 for lives of soft-ease and vapid plea : sure; by all who liked to satisfy theil
 emotions cheaply and safely by ap- l plauding high sounding phrases; ant by the great mass of well meaning men who had not thought out the mat ter with conscientious thoroughness , Let us not be mislead again. Un ] doubtedly as soon as this war end B all the we'll meaning, short-sighte' persons, who two years ago said ther l never would be war again, and wh l have been obliged to be silent on thi s particular point during the past tw f wears, will once more begin their shri }, pipings that the last war has occurred h Once more they will demand or an . nounce the invention of some pater g advice by which strong and ruthles e and cunning men will be held in plaC O by timid men without any prepared e ness without any display of courag n or acceptance of endurance, risk, labC e and hardship.
 O An Invitation to Attack
 n When this war is over it is pOssib 70 that some ore of the combatants, b. d ing fully armed, will assail us b' y, cause we offer ourselves as a rich al )l helpless prize. On the other hand -o is also possible that there will re temporary exhaustion among the con 'u batants, and a willingness, even (
 the part of the most brutal and rutl
 less, to go through the form of sa. ing that they are peaceful and harn ,Ss. less. In such event there will be re ,' danger lest our people be influenc
 bv the foolish apostles of unprepare = ness to accept this condition as pc ot manent and once more to shirk o or duty of getting ready.
 in I wish to say, with all the eI m phasis in my power, that if peace or Europe should come tomorrow, ng ought not, in the smallest degree a. affect our policy of preparedness.
 matter of fact, we probably canr six now prepare in any way that W ts, have q material effect upon the pr' d. ent war. Our folly has been su fly that it is now too late for us to ok this. All We can now do is to pl Ire pare so that the war shall leave u aftermath of horror and disaster sm our nation. If we fail so to preps we than assuredly some day we or ( lpt children will have bitter cause to l on our folly, and to remember too l; Tn the words of old Sir Thon ci- Browne: For since we cannot We wise by teaching there ls' an unhappy necessity that we m on smart in our own skins"
 Lessons of the Past
 ] wish especially to call the att
 ton of all people who may be n | mentarily mlsled by the statements the peace e-at-any price men. the D I fessional Dacifists of today. to the Ir tual results of our policy of unp oi paredness. Twenty-two months h. ra1 gone by since this war began. Nea osa five years have gone by since in revolution in Mexico loosed on Am md jeans in Mexico. and on Americans of our own side of the border. the for ter of murder and misrule. Yet, dur
 these five years we have taken no
 ficient steps to control the situat er- in Mexico, and during these Sven of two months, since the world has vas Tn such cataclysm Of fear and bl be as ever before in it's history, we ess this republic, with literally astound eed folly, with folly criminal from