Bridgeton pioneer., 1917-02-08
IN CASE OF WAR WITH GERMANY

In case war is declared between
the United States and Germany, what
part would we play? What could we
accomplish in the general result?
1t is not known what the President
has in mind, but that regular troops
or militiamen would be ordered to
join the Allies in Belgium and France
we do not deem probable. There are
thousands of Americans already fight
ing with the Canadians and with the
French. Unquestionably there are
tens of thousands more with a spirit
of adventure in their blood who would
be glad to march under the flag of
the United States. If it should be de-
termined to form an army for foreign
service it would be composed, we i'm
agine, entirely of volunteers. Time.
would be required to train them and
the war might be over before they
had an opportunity to see the trench
co. II oO, oO blNII lLlC OCllCI.
We leave this phase of the situation
for future considerat on 1t is the
navy that must become Immediately
active if hostilities are entered upon.
American ships and American seamen
must be protected. The Stars and
Stripes must be carried across the
ocean even if to do requires our full
naval strength. Our merchant ships
are not many and it should be gu te
possible to convoy them through the
danger zones. No transports across
the English Channn' rave been lost,
because their con, oyA were too for
midable No troop ships from Cana
da have been sunk, because they have
been met by British warships and Civ
en- ample protection. We must give
the same protection to our own ships.
ourselves with an independent
Should We make a formal alliance
with the Entente Powers or content
course? That is a question for deter
mination. But even without the ZEN
tangling alliances" that some persons
seem to be fearful of, there could still
be cooperation. Cooperation would
open our ports to English cruisers.
They would no longer be forced to
Halifax as base of supplies They
could buy in our markets, repair at
our navy yards and get in touch with
all the news. This privilege would
be of great value. The navies of the
United States and of England and
France could work in harmony
But there is another feature that
Germany cannot have overlooked
that of finances. With the full in
dorsement of the government, Fast
loans could be f1oated. Every SEM
blance of neutrality would disappear
and with money and Increased ammu-
nitions for the Allies, the crush ng,
not of Germany as a nation, but of
Prussian militarism, would be rem
dered much easier.
Another point. If we go to war. we
shall be in on the peace negotiations.
And those negotiations must embrace
the safeguarding of the future. We
no longer can hold aloof from bearing
our share of the burden of world af-
ia rs. Those timorous ones who would
have us build wall around the coun-
try and live unto ourselves alone
have had all their theories knocked
into a cooked hat. 1t has been proved
that we can be dragged into serious
trouble; that we cannot escape it.
Things cannot 60 on in future as they
have been going. If peace can be had
only by menacing would-be disturbers
Of it with force, we should be pre-
pared to lend all the strength Of our
moral and physical force to its pre-
servat On.
1t is a new world that is going to
emerge from this great upheayal of
nations. The United States must be
an influential factor for good in it,
Philadelphia Inquirer
INTERESTING DATA