The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1916-06-28
Preparedness DemagOguery
From the Laurens County Citizen.

from the LaNFSnS AounLy OltlEen'
New York would be safe from lombard
ment in the event of war, according to Rep
resentative Sherley, Of Kentucky, who eX-
planned the Notifications appropriation bill
to the house recently. Mr.. Sherley is in
charge of the bill for the committee.
He admitted that it is possible for GER
tain ships of the largest types to reach a par
ticular point and from that point be out OF
range of the existing batteries and still be
able to lombard portions of the city," but
said the condition is being remedied.
''It would not be difficult at all" he con-
tinued, ''to put up on temporary emplace-
ments guns of sufficient range at Rockaway,
where they propose to put permanent fortl-
fications, to make it exceeding unhealthy
for any fleet to undertake to lie outside this
particular place and lombard New York.
There is no reason why the people of Amer
lea should be unduly alarmed"
Judged by their proper standards" said
Mr. Sherley ''the Notifications of America
are credit to the country, and with the
additions that are proposed under the
scheme that has been outlined by the board
of review they will be adequate for all the
needs of the country"
We believe Representative Sherley is right
when he says "there is no reason why the
people of America should be unduly alarm
ed" The picture of Americas unprepared-
ness and helplessness in case of war has been
greatly 0VefQfdWn. we recently Witnessed
1.-The Battle Cry of Peace" which depicts
what the producers of this film claim would
be the condition of America should hostili-
ties break out with some frst-class European
power. In our opinion this picture greatly
exaggerates the situation, and holds Ameri-
can patriotism and Yankee ingenuity up to
the ridcule and scorn of the rest of the
world
We cannot bring ourselves to the point of
even imagining that the people of America
would sit idly by and allow any foreign ma
ton to invade its territory, no matter what
that nations strength might be, We are not
supine and unresourceful nation. Already
possessing the greatest manufacturing re-
sources of any nation on earth, and already
having to our credit the invention of the
submarine, the airship, the rapid-fre gun
and other of the most effective and death
dealing instruments of war, it is hardly to
be supposed that our great nation would
prove helpless and incapable of the action
necessary to prevent any nation on earth
from landing on our shores.
The great preparedness parades which are
being pulled off in every large city are be-
ing fostered and stimulated by the wealthy
munition makers and arms manufacturers of
this country. There are multitude of big
corporations, with hundreds of thousands of
stockholders, that would profit by a cam
paign of preparedness on the part of the
United States government These are the
ones who are agitating the question and
seeking to play upon the fears of the peo-
pie. In fact, it has been established beyond
doubt that many of the leading personages
in the several leagues which have been es-
tablished for the purpose of creating senti-
ment for preparedness are officers in the big
corporations which would be the ones to
reap the greatest profit from big appropria-
tions by congress.
We believe a majority of the people of
America want a reasonable preparedness,
but it is hoped that our people will never
permit themselves to. be swept off their feet
by campaign of false statements by dema-
gogues whose patriotism consists mainly in a
desire to feather their own nests by hold
ing up the bugabOo of war to a really patri-
otto and unsuspecting nation.