El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-04-28
Says Timidity and Weak,
ness Will Not Avert
Hostilities.

New York, April 2s.-Former presl-
| dent Theodore Roosevelt, addressing
the annual banquet of the Methodist
I Social Union OF New York Thursday
night, declared that a policy of timid-
ity and weakness on the part OF the
United States would invite instead OF
averting war He urged the doctrine
OF preparedness and cited the Amerl-
can expedition in Mexico as an exam
pie of unpreparedness.
Il have a right to speak to you for
peace" said the colonel in declaring
that he abhorred a wanton and unjust
war 'T was president seven and a
half years This nation during all that
time never for one moment permitted
any power to wrong this country or
to wrong Americans either in their
person or property or TO make us re-
creant in our duty to others; and yet
during those seven and a half years
not one shot was fired by any man
in American uniform against any for
eign foe, and not one American. woman
or child was slain by representatives
Of any foreign nation.
Circuit Riders Were Brave.
'If those old Methodist circuit rid
ers who spread Methodism had cOnsid-
cred peace the chief OF all earthly
west Of the Alleghenies. If Peter Cart
wright and his followrs had feared to
face trouble: IL their zeal for the faith
had been less than their dread of
disturbance there would not nave been
a single Methodist church west of the
Alleghanies. They know that there is
a peace which is the peace OF cow
ardice And that the peace Of COW
ardice becomes in the end the peace
C-bg,,,- NHeoL- peaeefnInesS
China has sought peace through
Dlessness-thrOugh refusal to pre-
pare - through inability to hold her
Own-and China now sees half her
powers and is not even her own master
in the territory which she retains
and is a menace instead of an aid TO
world peace
at is, of course, true that trained
in either man or nation may
be an instrument for wrOngdoinG-b
this is merely to say what is true Of
every other attribute-what is Just as
true Of Oratorical power, of general
ability of business ability, of a trained
sion. But we do not pray that our sons
should be either fools or weaklings IN
order that they may be saved from
the temptation incident TO the acqui-
sition of power intelligence and
strength.
"On the contrary, we pray that they
shall be strong and brave and wise;
and we strive to implant in them that
spirit Of service to God above through
the service Of man on this earth which
shall make them use their strength OF
body and Of mind Alright. And all this
should be just as true Of a nation as
Of man.
Could Have Avoided War OF 1912.
IF during the few years prior to
the war Of 1912 the American people
had been willing to build a fleet of 20
Dattleships and to have those battle
ships manned by crews thoroughly |
trained to handle them; and if they |
lad beer willing to provide a thor
)ughly efficient army of even 10000 |
men there would have been no war Of /
1912 at all We finally had to fight /
hat war because for the dozen years |
previously we had surrendered our
ielves to the guidance of the profess |
iional peace prattlers and had sought |
o obtain peace without self respect, I
md as a result we forfeited our self |
aspect and also endured three vars /
IF the suffering of war without the /
eward of successful war. Refusal o /
make ready. and trust in peace prattle !