Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1916-04-27
now TO MAINTAIN PENCE.

now TO MAINTAIN PENCE.
The army bill Is In conference, and
II IL significant that the .conferces
named by Speaker Clark for the house
are all In hearty accord with the sen-
ME bin 10 increase the standing army
20 a peace strength Of 100000 men.
What the house will do when the bill
comes back from conference cannot
be guessed at with any degree OF ac-
curacy
Just now the German-Amerlcan all
lance Is flooding congress with tcle-
grams opposed both 20 anything be-
ing done which would bring war with
Germany and to anything being done
that would enable this country to de-
fend Itself II war with Germany should
come. now or In the future. And n
lot OF the congressman have German
constituents upon whose votes they
must depend for reelection. With
hose men the matter of their re-
election is Of supreme importance.
IL the Gorman-American alliance
ana. the pncifists really want as they
profess, to keep this country out of
war, the sure way is to be so well pre-
pared that no nation viii attack us.
We are not going 70 attack any other
nation except in the most extreme
necessity Of preserving the rights OF
the American people
History is full Of illustrations of the
value OF adequate preparedness. but
perhaps none Is more valuable than
that OF the French inoursion into
Mexico while the hands OF this nation
we're tied by the clvil war. Tho French
emperor In defiance of the Monroe
doctrine. set up Macmillan on the
throne OF Mexico and supported him
with French bayonets
Hut when our clyil war closed the
United states had an army in the field
of about million mcn--tho finest
best drilled and best equipped army
on earth. The United States served
notice on Louis Napoleon TO get out
OF Mexico. Tho emperor of France
asked time 60 negotiate, but the adj
minisiration insisted that he move hlh
troops out without delay and backed
Us demands by starting n strong force
toward the border Then the French
rot out Of Mexlco.
Suppose the United states had had
little, ineffective army like that Of
today. instead OF the French MOVING
ont of Mexico back TO France they
would doubtless have crossed the Rio
Grande into our territory. and II
would have been long time before
we could have induced them to de-
part
Hut the United states was pre-
pared and the Monroe doctrine was
upheld without the loss OF single
man Had the country been unpre-
pared. w would have been compelled
10 abandon The Monroe doctrine or
send our young mon to be killed and
wounded In a war that could not
have been hroueht to a prompt issue.
sane preparedness for defense Is
insurance against war. Former Sec
rotary Of the Treasury Leslie NJ shaw
expressed II well the other day when
he said.
m this country gets into war. my
son should offer his services II he
should fail 20 enlist. the government
viii have the right 10 conscript him,
hui the curse of God will ana should
rest upon the nation that will call its
best blood 10 the c0lors, without hav-
ing first taught them 10 take care "
themselves that will not furnish
them az good arms as they are forced
O. face, that will not give them am
muniiion O. last tili the fight Is over.
Any preparedness less than
adequate preparedness Is useless, and
war Waged with antlquated or insult
ficient equipment Is worse than MUIR
der. for II subjects those who heed the
saii OF duty una obey the command
~ the country to ignominioua defeat
aud shameful slaughter"
In innumerable ways America has
ontacts with the world. and n good
y number OF them are contacts that
may bring trouble. The best way 20
iorefend trouble is TO foresee it and
prepare for It. When "A man like Con-
, ressman Hay jests about the danger
Of war he merely il displaying his
ignorance. OF which article he has
plenty and 10 spare
The Monroe doctrine, alone con-
iaips possibilities OF trouble that are
plainly apparent TO the most casual
student OF affairs. Hands off the
western hemisphere" Is a slogan We
long have cherished and often de-
Tended. even 10 the verge OF hostil-