Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-04-22
GATHERED BY THE WAYSIDE

Des Moines. April 22.-The people of
Des Moines are TO go on record as IN
favor of war The program Is that
this shall be done next Monday a the
Chamber of Commerce. The arrange
ment Is that the Chamber OF Com
merce shall go on record as favoring
certain proposals, the substance OF
which Is as follows:
AS big an army as may be deemed
desirable by army officials.
navy second to none afioat.
Universal military training as a fun
damental democratic doctrine.
Favors to makers OF munitions so
that the manufacture OF war materials
shall remain matter Of private profit
Creation Of new official bodies sur
ficient to direct this war program and
guarantee that the people shall become
fully imbued with the military spirit.
Leaflets have been distributed
among the chamber members on which
they will vote in favor of this program.
There is no doubt about what the vote
will be. Not one in ten OF the mem
bership has any real conception OF the
program that has been presented. The
conspicuous thing in the chamber is
the total unpreparedness of the mem
bership to decide. at this time, as to
any new national or international
policy. for they are busy men. and
few have turned aside from their abb
sorbing vocations to consider what 1t
all means.
The Chamber of Commerce has di-
rected a debate on the subject or pre-
paredness for war vs. preparedness Tor
defense, and it has been enlightening
SO far as it went but could hardly be
rega rded as anything more than an
Introduction to the subject. The az
firmative, or war side, was presented
Thursday by Harry II. Polk and Lafe
Young The negative, or defense. side
Of the argument was presented on
Monday by Harvey Ingham and {. ,.
Medbury. Mr. 1ngham discussed brlet-
ly the we'll established facts regarding
expenditures Of the United States for
! the navy and the army. He called at
tention to the fact that sixteen years
ago Roosevelt boosted that we had the
best navy in the world. and since that
time We have spent $500. 900, 600 In do
what the navy experts said would
make it better, and in the same time
Germany, commencing with practical
X,
and has made a navy second only to
one in the world. The United States
IS now expending for war preparations
or the results OF war larger proper
! ton OF it's resources than any nation
was prior to the present war. And
what is desired now is more money to
be used the same way. The real pre-
paredness for America is that her peo-
ple shall be true to themselves and
their principles to live up to the gold
| en- rule. to insist that the principles
OF christianity are sufficient for the
government Of the world. L -.
DR. Medbury warned that the pro-
gram as framed by the National
| Chamber of Commerce committee
meant committing our people to very
full military program. g. program which
means a thousand million dollars a
wear for up keep of a military and ma
val establishment for a nation profess
sing to be for peace. It means placing
the international policies of the nation
in the hands Of boards dominated by
engineers of munitions factories. It
means that there shall be universal and
compulsory military training. But, :
said DR.. Medbury, I'VE must decide
what ideals are to be held up before
our boys. We may be sure that our
national ideals would today be different
and be much lower. II our men had all
been trained in a military way instead
! of having had their thoughts turned to-
ward the splendid opportunities for pro-
fessional and business careers. Do you
believe that always the voice OF the
| thunderous battIeship viii be the de.
Gliding voice IN world afairs7 be-
llieve no such thing. The day viii come
4 when this plan OF settling intefnationa
disputes will be relegated to the pasi
land men Will look i,acls ixs syn..Ae:s .!.es
war was countenanced 80 long In his.
tory. The nations must and will come
TO the same standards as men, In {