The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-11-05
Inv John sparuo.l


by John Spargo.)
| From my boyhood days have been
an ardent anti militarist and paci-
fist. For more than a quarter of a
century / have gladly given myself
unreservedly to the war upon war.
/ am still an ardent antimili-
tarist and Dacifst. / hate war as
much as ever / did. Above all else /
want to see peace securely estab-
lished.
Nevertheless, l confess that at this
time ] am more afraid of a Prus-
| sian peace than ] am Of a contin-
uance of the war. horrible as that Is.
| Prussian militarism seeking to shape
the conditions Of world peace is more
to be feared than when 1t is sharpen
ing its sword for war.
| The essence of Prussian militarism
is this: 1t organizes all the resources
Of civilization to the end Of estab
fishing dominion over all peoples.
With fiendish ingenuity it has per-
4 verified to that ignoble and base end
all the finest achievements of civiliz-
ed man. In order that these mighty
forces may be made of benefit to all
mankind, and that the freedom of all
peoples may be secured. and fra
ternal cooperation be substituted
FOR brute force in the organization OF
the life of the world, Prussian mill
tarism must be destroyed.
If am asked whether militarism
Is only dangerous when 1t is Prus-
sian: whether it is not a fact that
French militarism, British mill
tarism, and now American mill
tarism, are equally perilous and OBJ
! jectionable, answer that the es-
sence of militarism lies not in the
possession Of trained armies, well
equipped. 1t lies, rather, in the de-
termination to use these forces for
conquest and dominion.
England An Army Camp.
At present England is a great army
camp. Industrially it is a vast
arsenal. But England has not organ
lied her resources for the purpose
| Of conquest and dominion. Instead,
she has created the vast military
machine she has in order to protect
herself and her neighbors against
Germanys aggression. England has
become a great military nation, tenn
porarily. but she is not a militaristic
nation.
France. too, has been forced to
abandon her normal pursuits and to
develop her military power to an ex-
tent undreamed of, but France is not
militaristic nation.
The American people find them
selves in a position similar to the
position Of France and England.
Hating war and militarism, as our
history clearly and abundantly
proves, we have been compelled to
develop an enormous army in order
to protect the rights and the lives
of our citizens and those interna-
tional principles and institutions,
without which civilization can not be
maintained. We have no desire to
dominate the world. We seek no ag-
grandizement, no annexations of
territory, no commercial advantages.
We do not even seek revenge for
the wrongs we have suffered at the
hands of Germany. Our sole purpose
is the establishment OF the security
Of all nationss against the lawless
and despotic conduct of a nation
which acknowledges no right save
might, the great power which de-
spises the methods Of civilization and
insists upon the methods Of barbar-
ism.
/ Miitarism is repugnant to us. We
lprefer the pillow to the sword. We
lare happier in the triumphs of in
dustry than in the triumphs OF war.
We fight only because we must; be-
cause the argument of brute force is
the only argument the Prussian bar
barian can comprehend or respect.
No Guarantee of Peace.
If peace were made today upon the
terms which Prussia has caused to
be circulated throughout the world
there could be no guarantee that the
peace would be enduring. The vast
Prussian military machine would be
maintained. Still all the resources of
IL he, N
lied for the purpose of dominating
and ruling the life of the world and
of subiecting all nations to the viii
and purpose of Germany. Under such
conditions no nation which preserV-
ed that self-respect and love of in
dependence which are essential to
freedom and progress would dare
lessen its ornaments. To do so would
be equivalent to suicide. The nations
would have to continue to waste
their substance in military Urepara-
tions against the inevitable day of
German assault.
The United States. which has
never heretofore maintained an army
of any size, would have to maintain
as a part Of it's permanent Organt-
cation a. vast army, capable of meet
ling any other vast army. 1t would
have to enter into alliances with 9TH
ler nations as means of protecting
itself against other alliances. The
Prussian peace would thus fasten
lupon us, and upon all other nations,
a military burden as great as that
which the war has forced upon us
Can Throw of Burden.
If, instead of a premature peace
upon terms dictated by Prussia, we
wait for peace which will be pos
sible upon our own terms, and those
of our allies. when Prussia is oblig-
ed to acknowledge defeat and to sur
render, we shall be in a position to
throw off the military burden which
would crush us to the ground. We
shall be able to deny Prussia the
right 10 maintain a menace to the
common veal of the nations. and in
so doing assure our own safety and
freedom to live. Progressive dis
| armament is only possible when
Prussian militarism shall have been
destroyed.
Stripped of all DISCUSSES and sub
tleties. the Prussian plan is peace
which will restore the status quo
ante. Everything is to be as it was
in the DAYS before Prussia, made war
Iunon cfvilization-in outward ap-
nearance. that is. Essentially, things
would be very different. Germany
would be advanced a long way to-
ward the realization of the cherished
lambition OF world domination. Hav-
Ling devastated her neighbors. laid
their fields and vineyards to waste,
and destroyed their industry and