The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-05-19

OUTSIDE power Will impose an amen
viii upon it and will deprive it of the
say as to how it will determine its own
deStinies.
AS 1t Is in Belgium
1t is of not the slightest consequence
at this moment what the business men
Belgium think should be done in the
way of industrial and agricultural devel-
opment and justice, because they have
to do whatever the Germans tell them
to do; and they work and live as they
are told by their conquerors. In the same
way it is of no consequence what the
native Koreans at the moment think
should be done to raise themselves up
ward toward civilization, because the
determining factor in their future is
the japanese attitude l believe that
the Japanese have done well in Korea.
L know that the German invasion has
wrought incredible woe in Belgium
But L am not, at the moment, con-
cerned with either fact. 1 am con-
cerned only with the fact that because
Korea did not prepare itself in adj
vance for defense it is now absolutely
under the dominion of Japan, and that
largely for the same reason Belgium
is now under the absolute control of
the Germans. L wish the wage work
ers and the farmers, even more than
the business men. of this country. to
realize that if we tread the steps of
Belgium and Korea in pacifism and
unpreparedness, sooner or later the
Germans or the Japanese or some
other men of virile race will wholly or
partially control our destinies and de-
prive US of the right to control them
wholly for ourselves. The working
man, like the farmer and the business
man, must be a patriot first or he is
unit to live in America; and the first
duty of all true patriots is to see that
we are able to prevent alien con-
querors from debating our home
policies Until this right to decide
our home policies for ourselves has
been guaranteed to US by our own
forethought and exertion, it is idle to
talk of the particular methods by
which the right shall be exercised
Why Ford Idea Fails.
Let me take a concrete illustration:
Mr. Ford in his business has, to his
great credit, endeavored in his own
way to secure the welfare of those
who work for him. He also advocates
our being helpless as a nation to pro-
tect him and his workingmen, and he
works to keep himself and themselves
helpless to aid in such protection. This
is precisely the attitude that was
taken IN Belgium by many business
men OF the stamp of Mr.. Ford. They
were successful business men who
tried to do justice to their work peo-
pie But they were pacifists who did
not believe in thorough-going pre-
paredneSS in military matters. In con-
sequence these Belgian catalogues of
MI Ford now see their business at a
standstlll; and their work people are
IN the d1rest misery, and do only such
Work, under such conditions, as their
conquerors dictate. Let the business
men and workingmen CT America who
tend to be misled by Mr.. Ford's paci-
list teachings take warning from what
mas pefaLen the business men and
Work1ngmen of Belgium because they
actually reduced such teachings to
practise
Now as to the pacifists They have
told US that if we remain helpless, we
snail escape all difficulties with
other nations and earn their good will
Let them ponder on what has hap
pened in Mexico today. Let them pom
der our relations at this moment with
Germany and the other great powers
engaged in the world war They will
then realize the utter futility of their
hopes For nearly five years we have
followed the principles of the pacifists
as regards Mexico. We have not our
selves prepared; but we have helped
the Mexicans to prepare by furnishing
tnem arms and munitions. We have
tamely submitted to the murder of
our men and the rape of our women.
we nave permitted foreigners to be
pIundered in Mexico and our own peo-
pie to be pfundered in Mexico: and
murder has been added to piunder.
Many of our troops have been shot.
While we have been norninalIy at
peace with Mexico, the Mexicans have
Killed more American citizens than
the Span1ards killed in the entire
Spanish war Moreover, when the
spanish war was through it was
through; and Cuba, Porto Rico. and
the philippines were started on a ca
reer of peace and prosperity such as
had never been known in all their
history But in Mexico, after all the
bloodShed, the trouble has only begun
and we are no nearer a solution than
we were three years and quarter
ago.
Mexican Hatred Growing.
1 call the attention of the pacifists
to the fact that We have not avoided
although we are assured that we are
at peace with Mexico, we have killed
and wounded nearly as many Mexicans
as were killed and wounded among
the Spaniards when our armies in the
Spanish war took Santiago and Ma
Mia We have not gained the good
will of the Mexicans. They hate rs
and despise US infinitely more than
they hated US five years ago-at which
time they did not despise US at all The
policy of pacifism has been practically
applied in Mexico and it has result ed
in fncalculable loss of life and prom
erty. 1t has gained us the utter con-
tempt of the people with whom we
dealt; and it has brought US to the
verge of war with them
Exactly the same thing is true as re-
CARDS Germany. For sixteen months
we have been employed in sending
Germany ultimatum after ultimaturrr
IN monotonouS succession, while Ger
many IN equally monotonous success
sion sank ship after ship, drowning
our men, women and children by the
hundreds q use the word ultima
tun1" in the sense that it has been
given by our practice with both Mex
leo and Germany during the past three
years-for under this condition an nj
tmatum is a note which is not uIti-
mate, but an invitation to further cor
respondence, and is on no account to
be translated into action.) We have
suffered as a nation from nroloneed