The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1916-01-17
AS TO PREPAREDNESS
DISCUSSION OF A QUESTION Up
PERMOST IN THE MINDS or
THE PEOPLE OF NATION.

To the Editor: What about all
this talk of PREPAREDNESS" see
nothing in your editorial column to
clear UP the situation, and | believe
the whole thing a delusion and a
fraud. Why don't you tell us about
1t?
You prepare and the other fellow
will prepare. and ar the first excuse
there will be a fight. Prepare for
war and you Will have war. Educate
a man for a butcher and he wants TO
kill something. If we want peace we
better consider some of the things
which make for peace. How many
nations who were prepared kept out
of this war? Surely those best pre-
pared were the first to go in.
Is it true that our civilization. our
religion, our sense of right and jus
tice Is so absolutely dormant and
helpless that it is impossible for us
to see any other way but to enter this
maelstrom of destruction? How long
Will our people and our congressman
be deluded by the schemes of the big
ship builders, the gun makers and
the armor plate crowd? How long
will President Wilson cater to the
gold laced sycophants who swarm
around him and pose as the sole
guardians of this country? How
many Of our congressman agree with
Teddy that the highest point of at
tainment for an American is to be
able to shoot to kiln? It's Of no
use to break n sword with another
sword. Throw them both into the
scrap pile and let them rust, or shape
them into pruning hooks. Cut out
this cry of military instruction in our
schools, Even Germany, dominated
as she is by militarism, knows enough
to keep Ii out of her schools. We
want no gold laced a%utocrats to guide
the rising generation. A soldier can
be made in a short time, but to make
a slave, a machine, takes more time.
Who won the battles of our civil
war, regulars? Not much. Regulars
lost Charlottesville for us and pre-
vented a complete victory at Gettys-
burg. Militarism will never kill mil
itarism. 1t may conquer it for a
time; but man. when compelled to do
so, will fight for his %inalienable
rights, for his liberty, till the world
reaches a stage of civilization which
will grant this without proclaiming it
from the lannon's mouth.
The national committee of the pro-
gressive party, at "A recent meeting In
Chicago, publish as one of their ak
IONS, That international law Is hui
manity's final safeguard. and ciyillza-
tons last bulwark." Granted. How
many thousand more years Will ii
take to civilize America? The great
mass of the common people var nc
war, and Jane Adams tells the on
g%ressional committee that 'all
Europe Is ready for peace, especially
the b%elligerent nations" Their de
vastated country and blood soaked
fields are enough for them, and shall
we Americans enter upon a huge
scheme of preparedness" and thus
say to the world we are ready for
war, and not peace? Will III peo-
pie be led into this abyss of hell by
these scheming autocratic swash-
bucklers who plot in secret and claim
co-partnership with the Almighty,
but keep at a safe distance from the
firing line?
BY all means give us this Inter
national law" Law that will control
king and kaiser. president and en-
peror, II and sultan. Let us
have peace"
We do not for one moment pre-
tend to know what would be justice
to any one. or all of the nations now
at war. but we do know that whether
they be gorged with blood, or bound
with chains. the time will come when
the claims of each and all will be set
tied, must be settled, and that with
out arms. With this moment will
come the test of our boasted civiliza-
ton. Where, then, will be found the
arbiters of human rights? From
whence will come the champions of
equity, justice and world wide de-
mocracy? Who will be prepared to
frame this international law" which
shall be "humanity's final safeguard
and civilizations last bulwark"?
II C-~sIL