The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1916-06-16

|
United States themselves until she had
piled up in our state department
charges of over 2,3O0 violations of neu
trality's law.
But we didn't go to war. Adams
! settled our troubles by negotiation, just
as the president of the United States is
trying to do today.
when Washington was president
and, neutrality first declared, war
cOnvulsed Europe our ships dared not
to put to sea. commerce was paralyzed
and business depressed. American pas
sengers and American crews were
thrown into prison and deprived Of
legal rights
But we didn't 90 to war. Washing
ton settled our troubles by negotiation,
just as the president of the United
States is trying to do today"
Advocates of War Confounded.
In concluding this issue Mr. Glynn
asks:
"Do the critics of the present admin
istration believe that Lincoln should
have risked national disaster by using
the sword rather than the pen in press.
ing the Alabama claims3 Are they
willing to brand Grant as a coward
because he kept us at peace with
| SpainP'
In answer to those who say that
President Wilson's policy does not sat.
isfy any one Mr.. Glynn replies: "He
means that 1t does not satisfy those
/ who would map out new and untried
course for this nation to pursue, but
they forget it does satisfy those who
believe the United States should live
up to the principles 1t has professed
for century and more.
"Chief Justice White of the United
States supreme court says this policy
has given America the greatest diplo-
matte victory of the past generation.
Maximilian Harden, Germany's noted
editor, says that never once has this
republic violated its neutrality and
| Gilbert X. Chesterton, the famous Eng
bsh journalist. says 1t is the duty of
the president of the United States to
| protect the interests of the people of
the United States;' that he can't dip
his country into hell just to show the
world he has Il keen sense of being an
individual savior.
This policy" Mr.. Glynn continued,
may not satisfy those who revel in
destruction and find pleasure In de-
spair. 1t may not satisfy the fire
eater or the swashbuckler But 1t does
satisfy those who worship at the altar
OF the god of peace. 1t does satisfy
the mothers OF the land at whose
hearth and fireside no jingoistic war
! has placed an empty chair. 1t does
satisfy the daughters of this land from
whom buster and brag have sent no
| loving brother TO the dissolution OF
the grave. 1t does satisfy the fathers
of this innd and the sons of this land
| who will fight for our flag and die for
our flag when reason primes the rifle,
when honor draws the sword, when
Justice breathes blessing on the
standards they uphold.
"Fighting for every degree of in
jury" he maintained. would mean
perpetual war, and this is the policy Of
our opponents, deny it how they will.
| 1t would give us a war abroad each
time the fighting cock OF the Euro
pean weather vane shifted with the
breeze. 1t would make America the
cockpit Of the world. We would be
30 busy settling other peoples quar-
reis that we would have no time to
attend to our own business"
Preparedness For Defense.
In his treatment of the issue of pre-
paredness Mr.. Glynn asserts that the
genius of this country is for peace.
"We have built our greatness on the
resources of nature and the peaceful
toll of our people. The ring of the
anvil, not the rattle Of the saber; the
song of the reaper, not the shrek of
the soldier; the clatter of the shuttle,
not the crack of the rife, have won us
the place we occupy In the councils of
the world.
Like the old Mohawk chief who
loved peace we would like to throw
the tomahawk of war so high in the
sky that no mans hand could ever
pull IL down. But when some other
tribe among the races of men sends
| uB Dunule Oh hrTOWb Wrdppeu III tne
skin of a rattlesnake we want, like
old Governor Bradford of Massachu.
sets, to be in position to send that
rattlesnake skin back stuffed with pow.
der and with ball.
I'VE have been carried too close to
the rocks OF war during the past two
years to believe that those rocks do
not exist. And looking into the future
we can perceive that If our sovereignty
Is not challenged, If our peace is not
assailed, 1t will only be because the
world knows that we are strong enough
to defend ourselves from every foe.
"For these reasons this administra-
ton has done more for our army and
our navy than any administration In
our history.
more than this, 1t has modified
the resources OF the nation to meet
the needs of war. 1t has placed the
wealth of the country back OF the
strength of the country, the toiler back
OF the soldier and the sailor.
"And to our opponents we say you
can't create an army, can't create a
navy, in the course Of day. To them
| We say If our navy is not strong