The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-09-01

France or Germany, in Scandinavia or
Russia.
During the last two years we have
seen an evil revival in this country OF
non-American and anti-American dlVl-
sion along poiitico-racial lines; and we
owe this primarily to the fact that
President Wilson has lacked the cour-
age and the vision to lead this nation
in the path of high duty, and by this
lack of affirmative leadership has
loosened the moral fiber of our people,
has weakened our national spirit, and
has encouraged the upgrowth within
our own borders of separatism along
the lines of racial origin. When our
own government so acted as to bring
shame on all our people, it shook the
spirit of loyalty among those to whom
it was vital that loyalty should be
taught. Full hearted allegiance is
shattered by the government that fails
to uphold the honor and interest of
the nation by immediate and effective
action when the lives of its citizens are
menaced or taken by foreign powers.
THE cause of preparedness is in
separately connected with the cause of
Americanism, of patriotism, of whole
hearted loyalty to this nation and to
all for which all the great men of this
nation in the past have stood. The
events of the last two years have
made it evident that the dreams of the
dreams but Nightmares, so far as the
unfortunate nations who trusted them
were concerned. Moreover, in practice
| these pacifists have shown not only
utter futiiity, but moral baseness.
LAS the world now is. our great free
| democracy must understand that I'M
less IT can protect itself by its own
strengthened its strength is not
| strength at all unless it is carefully
trained IN advance-it will sooner or
| later suffer the fate that China is suf-
ferlng before our eyes. Thanks to the
| fact that President Wilson has some
times led us wrong, and sometimes not
led US at ali, and that at the best he
| has merely followed afar off when
| convinced that it was politically safe
to do so. we are at this moment no
| mere prepared to defend ourselves
| then we were two years ago when the
world wer broke out. At last we haze
begun the work Of restoring our navy
| to the position it formerly held; but
it will take years to undo the harm
| done when in 1910 the Democratic
| PARTY gained control OF the house and
stopped upbuilding the navy; and it is
entirely impossible to make the navy
| what 1T should be made as long-as we
| have a president who appoints and re-
ta:ns at its head a public official of
the type of Mr.. Daniels.
| Applied Patriotism
|
preparedness. taken together, mean
applied patriotism. There should be
correlation of policy and armament
Our first duty as citizens of the Unit
ed States is owed to the United States.
| But if we are true to our princip1 S
we must also think OF serving the in
terests of mankind at large. In aGdi-
| ton to serving our own country, we
must shape the policy of our country
SO as to secure the cause of interna-
Let -s.r1,% CT,
| humanity. Our first duty is to pro-
tect our own rights; our second, to
stand up for the rights of others.
President Wilson has signally failed to
perform either duty. They can be
performed only by deed. Words alone
are useless.
AT this moment Mr.. Wilson and
Mr.. Wilson's fuglemen advance as his
greatest claim that he has kept US
out of war This claim can be seri-
indorse President Wilson's belief that
deeds are nothing and words every
thing. War means a clash between
the armed forces of two countries
Nowadays, thanks quite as much to
the professional pacifists as to the
militarists, it means, furthermore, the
destruction of the lives of civilians,
and the property of civilians, as well
as the property of the government.
Under President Mckinley we had a
war with Spain. Under President Will
son we are assured that We have had
peace with Mexico. These are the
words. Now for the deeds.
During the war with Spain fewer
Americans were killed by the Span
iards than have been killed by Next
cans during the present peace with
Mexico. Let us repeat this. great
er number of Americans have been
killed by MeXicans during these years,
when we are officially informed that
we have been at peace with them,
than were killed by the Spaniards
during our entire war with Spain.
Moreover, when the war with Spain
was thru, it was thru. But peace still
continues to rage as furiously as ever
in Mexico.
stopped Cuban Butchery.
Nor is this all. The instant effect
of the outcome of the war with Spain
was to put a stop to the oreaoIu,
butchery and starvation in Cuba ano
the Philippines, and the entry OF both
, Cuba and the Philippines on career
, of eighteen years of peace and pros
perty such as they have never known
: before in all their checkered history
i | But during these three years of Mr.
Wilson's peace the Mexicans them
| selves have been butchered by their
own bandits steadily and without In
termission and Mexican women and
children have died by thousands
probably by scores of thouSands-o1
starvation and of the diseases Incl
dent to starvation. In other words
Mr.. McKinley's war cost less blood
shed than Mr.. Wilson's peace; and i
reflected high honor on the American
. | people; whereas Mr.. Wilson's peace
has been one of shame and dishonol
for the American people, and one OF
ruin and bloodshed for the Mexican.
themselves.
Mr.. Wilson says we have had peace
with Mexico. He says he did not wage
war with Mexico. If he takes any
comfort out of this denial, let US no
, insist upon the proper Technology
l and admit that he merely waged peace
with Mexicn Well incident