Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-03-24
NATION NEEDS
MEN AND MONEY
Chairman of State Committee
Gives Outline For Pre-
paredneSS

Philadelphia, March "a. George
Wharton Pepper, chairman of the
Committee of Safety named by Gov
ernor Brumbaugh to prepare Pennsyl-
vania for war. yesterday outlined three
forms of policy for the United States
to follow in the present international
crisis.
Following the issuance of a call for
a general meeting of the committee in
the Capitol at Harrisburg at IL a. m.
next Wednesday, Chairman Pepper, in
an interview on Americas imminent
entrance into the world war, said:
''As to the policy of the government
in the present crisis, 1 have three sug-
geStions to make:
In the first place, this nation should
go at once to the financial assistance
of the Allies, especially to the succor
of proud, bleeding. heroic France. OF
our abundance, we should minister to
them in their necessity.
I'm the second place, as a military
policy, We must not at present attempt
complicated reorganization of the
army of the United States, highly de-
sirable as this is. We must not con-
front n bewildered Congress with a
military proposal of enormous finan-
cial proportions. We must not urge
a period of military training so long
as to raise doubt, even in friendly
minds, whether the period is not too
long.
Let us unite in advocatingithe fair,
the democratic, the efficient system of
universal and compulsory military
training embodied in the Cham berlain
Dill as the only proper system for pro-
Niding us with what we sorely need-a
well-trained citizen soldiery at least
100000 strong.
Must Have Munitions
But, in the third place, let us rec
ognize that men, and even industrial
| preparedness, are of little worth with
out the ordinary implements of war
rifles, guns, ammunition and other
| munitions. AS to this let us insist
| upon a policy of the most pitiless
publicity. The newspapers can get
access to the facts and they will pub
lish them If they think the people
want to know them. The people do
not know how serious the needs of
America are"
Mr.. Pepper also advocated the as
| semblage into single force under the
Stars and Stripes of the $4,000 Ameri-
cans now fighting with the allied ar
mics in Europe. He pictured the
present struggle as one to establish
whether the potential governments of
the world are to be governed from the
bottom up, by the people, or from the
| top down, as under the theory of the
divine right of kings.
The need for quick action is
urgent said Mr.. Pepper. big ques-
tions are to be settled and necessarily
( settled with dispatch. There should
be no hesitation or delay now; it is the
time for action.
THE situation in which we find
ourselves makes a large demand upon
| sanity and self-control. Through
months and years of popular lethargy
we have been eXhorting our fellow
| citizens to face the facts.
I'VE have been dissatisfied and un.
happy because we have had a burning
| conviction of the righteousness of q
certain cause, and we have beer
wholly unable to give to that convic.
ton adequate or effective expression
Some of us have been aware that the
future of democracy is trembling yon.
der in the balance, as we have found
unreal neutrality to be a yoke toe
calling for the neck of free man
Under such conditions it has not beer
easy to be an American.
| But now the situation has changed
Our fellow citizens have indeed de
clined to face the facts. but TO-DAY
some of the facts are facing them
The result is likely to be a nationa
awakening of great proportions
People will presently discover that we
must prepare for national defense anC
there will be much patriotic hurryinl
and scurrying with the resultine
danger that with much sweat and fury
| we shall arrive nowhere -