The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1916-02-03
PREPAREDNESS IS
CHEAPER IN END
Speech of the Hon. James X. Mann,
Republican Leader of the House
of Representatives in Congress,
Tuesday Afternoon, Jan. 25.

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. But as time has gone on and
events have occurred it has seemed
to me more certain that my conclu-
sions were right than even when 1
first reached them, and | think, in
justice to myself, and l hope with
some slight benefit to the country,
ought to express those conclusions
to the House.
1t is we'll known in the House that
| never have heen a believer in a
large standing Army, and l suppose
that | have been probably properly
classed in what is sometimes re-
ferred to as the little Navy men"
But wise men ought to be able to
peer, maybe indistinctly, into the fu-
ture, and to prepare today for what
may come tomorrow. The world is
in the most remarkable 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
involved in that struggle. 1t is a
breakup in the world, each side not
merely fighting for its own existence,
as 1t believes, but, as it seems to me,
each side fighting with the determin-
alton to put the other side, as it
were, out of business. We have never
had such thing in the world before,
with the same powerful influences at
work.
The laws of civilization, interna-
tional laws, the laws of humanity,
1 are usually ~,disrsgafded, at least
more or less, when two great forces
are fighting for mastery. With two
men fighting, each believes 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 demands of some less
powerful person not engaged in the
conflict.
| do not know, ana no one knows,
what will result from the present
war. No one knows whether the ag-
gression of one side or the other
against our interests, may possibly,
against our desires and contrary to
our wishes now, finally lead us, per-
haps not into this struggle but into
some struggle which is the outcome
of this one. | doubt whether
paper peace between the two strug-
Cling parties now, even if it could
be entered into, would be even the
beginning of the end. | think the
present conflict is likely to last for
many years before it is definitely de-
termined either that one side or the
other is the master or that 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 come.
Loud applause.)
1t may be that we will have no
trouble. l hope not. In this war |
am neutral. l 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, be-
cause, however much we may desire
peace, it is not within our power,
with the feelings which we have, to
stand aggression too far. 1t will be
expensive to prepare for peace. Two
years ago billion dollars seemed q
very large sum of money. No one
would have believed two years ago
that either England or Germany
could carry on war at the expense
already involved, amounting to bill
lions Of dollars, an expense so great
that the interest on the Indebtedness
would be sufficient ordinarily to
maintain the Government work. And
the end of that Indebtedness 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 Revol-
utions are not improbable, and revol-
utions 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-
day to spend hundreds of millions OF
dollars, or few billions of dollars,
in ample preparation for trouble, and
avoid it if possible, than We can to
wait for trouble and then spend un-
told billions before we are finally vic
tors, as we would be. (Applause.)
If we are involved in no trouble we
will be getting off cheaply with the
expenditures for preparation. If we
should be involved in trouble the
money we spend now will be worth
MANIFOLD that which we would spend