The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1916-02-03
PREPAREDNESS

:
1T is Wise for US Now TO Begin 0ur
Preparation. Home Industries
Should be Strengthened as Part OF
Our National Defense.
Mr.. MANN. Mr.. Speaker, in the
quietude of my garden last summer
and autumn ! reached certain conclu-
sions which | have hesitated to ex-
press, thinking that | might modify
them. Bu. as time has gone on and
events have occurred it has seemed to
me more certain that my conclusions
were right than even when | first
reached them, and think, in justice to
myself, and | hope with some slight
benft to the country, | ought to ex-
press those conclusions to the House.
1t is well known in the House that
| never have been believer in a large
standing Army, and | suppose that |
have been probably properly classed in
what is sometimes referred to as the
'little Navy men," But wise men
ought to be able to peer, maybe indis-
| tinctly into the future, and TO prepare
to-day for what may come tomorrow.
| The world is in the most anomalous
condition which mankind has ever
seen. The greatest struggle of all the
ages is going on now between the
most powerful forces of the human
race, between great nations and com
binations of nations, until we are the
only large, powerful nation not yet in
volved in that struggle. 1t is break
up in the world, each side not merely
fighting for its own existence, as it be-
lieves, but, as it seems to me, each side
fighting with the determination to put
the other side, as it were, out of busi-
ness. We have never had such thing
in the world before, with the same
powerful influences at work.
The laws of civilization, internation-
al laws, the laws of humanity, are
usually disregarded, at least more or
less, when two great forces are fight
ing for mastery. With two men
fighting, each believing that he is
fighting for his life, each determined
to take the life of the other, neither
pays much attention to the desires, the
requests or the demands of some less
powerful person not engaged in the
conflict.
! do not know, and no one knows
what will result from The present war.
| No one knows whether the aggression
/ of one side or the other against our
interests, may possibly, against our
desires and contrary to our wishes
now, finally lead us, perhaps not into
this struggle but into some struggle
which is the outcome of this one. |
doubt whether paper peace between
the two struggling parties now, even
if it could be entered into, would be
even The beginning of the end. think
he present conflict is likely to last
for many years before it is definitely
determined either that one side or the
other Is the master or thai neither can
become the master. And it seems to
me that the part of wisdom for us is
to fairly prepare ourselves for any
possible trouble which may conc.
loud app!ause.)
1t may be that we will have no
trouble. | hope rot. In this war am
neutral. | think we ought TO maintain
peace at all hazards. And yet the
time may come when we will not have
the determination whether we can
maintain peace or not, because, how
ever much we may desire peace, it Is
not within our power, with the feel
ings which we have, to stand aggres-
sion too far. 1t will be expensive to
prapare for peace. Two years ago q
billion dollars seemed a very large
sum of money. No one would have be-
lieved two years ago that either Eng
lanr or Germany could carry on a war
at the expense already involved,
amounting to billions of dollars, an ex-
pense SO great that the interest on the
Indebtedness would be sufficient ordin-
arily to maintain the Government
work. And the end of that indebted
ness is not in sight What may come
OUT Of such immense burdens Of debt
in these countries, even when peace
may be declared, no one can tell. Rev
olutions are not improbable, and revo-
Ilutions in the history of the world
have usually lead to aggression and
disputes, and often to war with other
countries. We can better afford to-
Iday TO spend hundreds Of millions Of
dollars or a few billions Of dollars, in
ample preparation for trouble, and
avoid IL II possible, than we can to
wait for trouble and then spend untold
billions before we are finally vic:ors, as
we would be. (Applause). II we are
involved in no trouble we will be get
.;yo or cheaplv with ahe expenditures