The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-12-04
DENATURED PACIFIST TELLS WHY HE HAS CHANGED HIS
 MIND ABOUT THE WORLD WAR

served; but summing up it's probable effect on a nation, began to see some reason for the attitude of the German rulers, if not the people. They were suffering from a disease, which, in my boyhood days we called the "big head" It is superinduced by a rush of success to the head. Its symptoms are cock-sureness that you are right and all the rest of the world is wrong; that you can not be overlooked in the general scheme of world development; and that you have received God given commission to impose your plan and views on all the rest of mankind. When boy got a bad case of "big head" the rest of the crowd gave him a good humping. That usually re- duced the swelling.
 Perhaps no nation can endure too much adulation without getting un- duly inflated. If we had seen for the last 10 years Made in the United States'' on the bottom of the worlds best manufactures, had connected it with the worlds best music, and had literature we might have grown un- duly chesty ourselves.
 But this case of Authorization is away around the globe; and my fam fly and my interests on this side. Prus- sia is only province; all Germany is not a vast nation. One can't stand against all the others.
 began to see that if this thing kept on, as seemed probable unless Uncle Sam took a hand, we were likely soon to be fighting a home war with our backs up against our own doors. Prus- sianism began to loom up as a men, ace right here instead of tout there" It looked now as if it were my war; for my home and my family; for my right to be free from a military sys- tenn; and for my right to thing and act as please. It is a choice between American liberty and Prussian cruel ty-I want liberty.
 But where are all my theories of the evils of war, my duty to my fell bowman, my objection to forced mili- tary service, my scruples against talk ing human life? As strong as ever; believed in them; as a fighting paci- l fist still believe in them. Then why have I become denatured? Because my house is on fire. I want the fire put out and my home preserved. And am not fool enough to stop to in- Quire what kind of fire engine the company brings to aid me; what is the diameter of the hose or nozzle; wheth- CT it is right to use the water on a burning house when it might be need ed on some garden; whether or not there are evils attending a paid or vol unteer organization of firemen; whether some of thes firemen may be hurt in performing their duty. No, I say, "Go ahead! Put out the fire! Save
 my property"
 l But the taxes. When we were chill dren on the playground some joker was wont to throw stone or stick into the air and give a harassing yell: What goes up must come down." AS i a lesson in finance as well as law of physics the saying is true. Congress
 can not throw the stick of war expen- ditures into the air without 1t coming down later in the form of taxes. We shall know and our children shall
 know what heavy taxation really is.
 But is it not better to spend all this money at once than to dribble it along as the world has been doing in keep ing up vast naval and military sys- tenn? It will be worth all it costs if we can only free the world from fu- ture wars and make self-government safe and assured.
 Now, you see why I find myself on the other side of the fence. I don't waste much time in reading argu- ments as to which side started the thing, or whether our side or the other commits more atrocities; also as to whether we should keep our forces at home for our own defense or send them over seas to aid. The thing which makes me denatured pacifist, which dehorned me Cor rather made me put on my horn). is that some-