The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-12-05
A PRUssIAN PEACE
Its Dangers to the World as Seen BY
John Spargo

John Spargo
From my boyhood days | have been
an ardent antimilitarist and pacifist.
For more than quarter of century
/ have gladly given myself unreser-
yedly to the war upon war.
am still an ardent ant-militarist
and pacifst | hate war as much as
ever | did. Above ali else / want to
see peace securely established
Nevertheless. | confess that at this
time ! am more afraid of a Prussian
peace than | am of a continuance OF
the war horrible as that is. Prussian
militarism seeking to shape the con
ditions of world peace is more to be
feared than when it is sharpening its
sword for war
The essence of Prussian militarism
is this. 1t organizes all the resources
of civilizations to the end of establish
ing dominion over all peoples. With
tiendish ingenuity it has perverted to
that ignoble and base end all the fin
est achievements of civilized 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 fraternal cooper
alton be substituted for brute force in
the organization of the life of the
world, Prussian militarism must be
destroyed
If | am asked whether militarism
is only dangerous when it is Prussian;
whether II is not a fact that French
militaiism, British militarsm, and
now American militarism, are equally
perilous and Objectionable, answer
that the essence of militarism lies not
in the possession of trained arm,ys S.
we'll equipped. 1t lies, rather, in Inc
determination to use these forces for
conquest and dominion.
At present England Is great army
camp lndustrially 1t is 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 Germany's ag-
gression England has become a great
military nation. temporarily. but she
Is not a militaristieA 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
a militaiistic nation
The American people find them
selves in position similar to the po-
sition 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 lives of our citizens
and those international principles and
institutions. without which civiliza-
ton can not be maintained. We have
no desire to dominate the world We
seek no ACKNOWLEDGMENT, no annexa-
tons OF territory. mo commercial ad-
eantages We do not even seek re-
yenge FOR the wrongs we have suffer
ed at tho hands of Germany. Our sole
purpose is the establishment OF the
seculaty of all (. nations against the
lawless and despotic conduct of ma
ton which acknowledges no right save
might, the great power which despises
thN iAthhpNo VI Sl'iilEhAlOhb anu III
sists upon the methods OF barbarism.
Militarism- is repugnant TO u.s. We
prefer the pillow to the word. We are
happier in the trilinipiisA OF Industry
than In the triumphs OF war. We fight |
only because we must; because the |
argument of brute force is the only |
argument the Prussian barbarian can !
comprehend or respect.
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 Prus-
sian military machine would be main.
tanned. Still all the resources of the !
German Empire would be organized |
for the purpose OF dominating and |
for the purpose of dominating and
ruling the life OF the world and of
subiecting all nations to the will and
purpose of Germany Under such
no nation which preserved
that self-respect and love of indepenA
ence which are essential to freedom
and progress would dare lessen its ar
To do so would be equiva-
lent to suicide. The nations would
have to continue to waste their sub
stance inmilitary preparations against