New Britain herald., 1916-02-09

der, for which you and 1 and every taxpayer in the United States would be measurably responsible.
 ITO Proud to Fight is Absurd.
 '"To say that we are too big or too proud to fight in self defense is, with all respect to the estimable but mis- taken gentleman who said it absurd and puerile, and l am glad to note that he himself has come to that conclusion. To say that a mob of q million or so of untrained citizenry would leap to arms to fight the bullet tested soldiery of Asia or Europe Is worse that puerle-it is murderOn5. stupidity The machinations against this government at the moment are more subterranean than submarine. Our duty is to defend against both. We are permitted no alternative. We must forthwith spend money for de fense, and lots of it. We must know that we are safe from the temptation of attack Our peace and future hap piness depend upon this assurance. Haldane, you know, answered the ap- peal of Lord Roberts for better mil itary equipment with a beautiful phase worthy our own president or a Spencerian copybook. Said Haldane, we should prepare for the reason able probable, but not for the logi- cally possible. There spoke the lawyer, the optimist perhaps, but not the statesman, HaIdane discredited. himself, but, worst of all, he discredit ed his country. The words of our own Washington are the words of a states man, 9 soldier, and a patriot, and they cannot be repeated too often or become too familiar: TO prepare for J 1o +bo effective ways of preserving peace. A free people should not only be armed but disciplined. To that end a uni form and Well-adjusted plan is re- quisite.'
 Let Military Experts Say How.
 Has Washington ever been dis credited? If so, when? Where? By whom? Has not time vindicated his right to warn Americans? To instruct them in their duty. to safeguard, even from the grave, the priceless heritage which he and his compa- 1 triots bequeathed to them? A free | people, says Washington, should be | armed and disciplined according to a plan. Whose plan? I should say that | the recommendation in the first in stance should come from our military 1 experts, and that insofar as their l recommendations were unanimous they should be adopted without much | debate and regardless of costs; with l the understanding, however, that the sole purpose to be subserved is not ! conquest but self defense. This sim | plifies and limits the problem as well as the expense. It means, obviously
 a big navy-as big as any navy in the world-With every flying, diving, ! a m D biOuS auxiliary that can to | it's effectiveness, and with all the | munitions and means to boot-muni- | tions for years campaign at least
 always in cold storage. It means as many naval officers and men of
 brains and technical training. But
 this sort of men can always find
 lucrative employment in private life,
 which means that the government
 must outbid the market for their
 services. Insurance will cost money,
 but it is worth the price; and there
 is no nation in the world that has so
 many things to insure and can so
 empty afford to pay the premium.
 100000 in Standing Army.
 "Washin gton's 'well-adjusted' plan must likewise include skeleton army, but a skeleton capable of talk
 ing on flesh at a moments notice 1 and fifty thousand. a decimal of any
 army of, say, a million-and-a-half, always in reserve.
 q admit that a large standing
 army, like those of Europe, is a l perpetual menace to the very gov l ernment that creates it. History shows that armies have mutinied and over thrown the gOvernm ments they were
 expected to protect. They have been
 at once the incubators and tools of kings. So not the least debt of grat-
 itude which America owes to Provi- | dence is her immunity from this dan ger.
 | 'There is no instance of record
 that I know of where a navy. how ever big, has wantonly turned against l the government that fostered it; and in the very nature of things 8 navy lacks the opportunities as well as the 1 incentive of fOment rebellion. Where- | fore, large navy and a relatively small standing army must be our own program. But, says Washington, a free people should be disciplined; and l think he meant the whole people. He certainly did not limit the percentage. It has been sug- gested that the State Militias should
 be brought under Federal combina- ton. This ought to be done, of course. The first duty of American l volunteer should be to his country, not simply to locality. It may cost ! the militia of our several states the companionship of those who join their ranks for a summer outing ra- ther than for business, but those who | do join will be soldiers neither Of tin nor tinsel, but of a different metal | and a better mettle.
 Bryan Has His Fingers Crossed. 1 'Thus far l have been urging n