Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-06-13
AMERICA NOT AFTER FIGHT,
HE DECLARES,

Continued From Page One.)
America came into existence for a
particular reason.
Now what we are preparing to do
is to have all of our force put itself
behind its moral idea. and mankind is
going to know that when America
speaks she means what she says
heard a man say to another, If you
wish me to consider you witty must
trouble you to make joke We have
a right to say to the rest of mankind,
If you don't want to interfere with US, il
you are disinterested, we must trouble
you to give the evidence of that fact
We are not in for anything selfish and
we want the whole mighty power Of
America thrown into that scale and
not into any other.
Militarism Feared.
You know that the chief thing that
is holding many people back from en-
thusiasm for what is called prepared
ness is the fear of militarism. I want
to say a word to you, young gentle
men, about militarism. You're not a
militarist because you are military.
Militarism does not consist in the ex
istence of an army, not even in the
existence of very great army. Mill
tarism as spirit. II is a point OF
view. 1t is system. 1t is purpose.
The purpose of militarism is to use
armies for aggression. The spirit OF
militarism is the opposition OF the
civilian spirit-the citizen spirit. In a
country where militarism prevails, the
military man looks down upon the
civilian, regards him as inferior,
thinks of him as intended for his, the
military mans support and use. and
just so long as America is America
, that spirit and point of view is i'm
possible with us. There is as yet in
this country so far as l can discover,
no faint of the spirit of militarism.
Net Preferred Sons.
You young gentlemen are not pre-
ferred in promotion because of the
families you belong to. You are not
drawn into the academy because you
belong to certain influential circles
You do not come here with long ira
dition of military pride back Of you.
You are picked out from the citizens
Of the United States, to be that part
of the force of the United States which
! makes its policy safe against inter-
ference. You are the part of Ameri-
can citizens who say to those who
would interfere: You must not and
You shall not But you are American
citizens and the idea l want to leave
with you boys today is this
NO matter what comes always re-
member that first Of all you are citi-
zens of the United States before you
are officers. and that you are officers
because you represent in your profes-
sion what the citizenship of the United
! States stands for There is no danger
of militarism if you are genuine Amer
| leans, and for one do not doubt that
you are. When you begin to have the
militaristic spirit-not the military
spirit, that is all right-then begin to
doubt whether you are Americans OF
not s-..-r
People Glory In Civil Power.
You know that one thing in which
our forefathers took pride was this
that the civil power is superior to the
military power in the United States
Once and again the people in the
| United States has so admired some
great military man as to make him
president of the United States wher
he became ommander-in-chief Of all
the forces in the United States, but he
was commander-in-chief because he
was president not because he had beer
trained to arms and his authority was
civil, not military. can teach you
nothing of military power, but am in.
structed by the constitution to use you
for constitutional and patriotic pur,
| poses. And that is the only use you
care to be put to. That is the only
use you ought to, care to be put to
because, after all, what is the use il
being an American if you do not know
what it is.
/ Greater Than Romans.
You have read great deal in the
4, books about the pride of the old Ro.