The Republican journal., 1917-04-05
Shall We Ship the Statue of
Liberty to Hong Kong?

Liberty to Hong Kong
shall the Statue of Liberty be shipped
from the harbor of New Y ork to that
of Hong Kong or Vladivostock? asks
Colonel Harvey in the current North
American Review. "Must even China
be permitted to forge ahead of America
in defense of Democracy" Wholly aside,
says Colonel Harvey, from the injuries
and insults which America has endured
at the hands of the War Lord and which
she is expected to advance as technical
grounds for action, does not Americas
higher duty, her greater opportunity, lie
along the path of the shot heard round
the world? Are we to permit others to
finish the glorious work which we began,
according to even the intidel Allen, in
the name of Almighty God?'
Colonel Harvey continues as follows:
We are for war; of course we are; and
for reasons good and plenty, to wit:
% Because we have reached and
passed the limit of forbearance in trying
to maintain amicable relations with
barbaric brute who has presumed so far
upon our good intent as TO treat our most
concillatory and helpful suggestions with
glazing contempt, who has melted all
manner of reasonable activities aad
damnable outrages within our borders,
has gloated over his avoWed assassination
of our innocent and harmless citizens of
both sexes and all ages npon the high
seas, and has missed no opportunity to
deceive, to sheer and to lie to our con-
stituted authorities; because to conserve
our own self-respect we are driven fnaliy
to the point where we must fight or Tor
felt the decent opinion Of all mankind;
because we cannot even seem to condone
the breaking of treaties, the burning of
villages to no purpose except to deprive
the poor and helpless OF shelter essential
to mere existence, the enslavement OF
men who alone could save their families
from restitution ard death from starva-
ton, the violating of women and young
girls, the bayonetting of little children,
the approved indiscriminate slaughter by
the unspeak able Turks of thousands of
helpless Christians in Armenia, and God
only knows what else and what more
that has stamped the Hun for more than
one generation 10 come as the sublimated
hero of the SHAMELESS of humanity; be-
cause, in a word, we cannot acknowledge
the supremacy of might and frightful-
ness over right and righteousness with
out DENYING our faith in the living God;-
~ Because we owe II to our fore
fathers who founded the Republic and
to our fathers who saved the Union to
prove ourselves not merely worthy of the
happiness which flows from prosperity
but eager and fearless in support of free
life and full liberty the world over, to
the end that the noble example set by
them may not be degraded in gluttonous
realization by US; because as practical
matter if spies and traitors lnfest our
land now is the time to smoke them out;
if a few scattering undersea waits can
break down our defenses and damage
our cities, let them do their utmost, that
we may discover what might be antici-
pated from fleet and prepare accord
ingly; if our navy is lopsided and de-
fcient, our provision for defensive
army unfnIfiIled and unreaiizable, our
stores of ammunition insufficient, our
air-machines and submarines but sam
plies, today when only negligible harm can
come to US is the day to acQualnt our
selves with the fact; and if, as We are
told, so many of US are pro-this or pro-
that and so many more are putting pelf
above patriotism and so many more
should be feeding off our own fat instead
of mulcting lean Chautauquans; then
WDdt we Uetu 10 d a tCoS VI Oo0y,
of mind and of spirit-a trying out by
fire while yet there IS time to make
America fit for any real emergency; yes,
and able, through universal training, to
obviate the necessity of universal SER
vice; because simply and finally, in such
a case, war is curative, not destructive;
blessing, not curse.
~ Because our going into the great
conflict at this psychological moment
would not only complete the ring of
democraces around the doomed autoc-
racy and so render the ultimate result
certain to the duiest and the bindest,
but also from that very fact would in
feet all Germany, all Austria and all
Hungary with the new spirit of Russia.
and SO by surely shortening and perhaps
quickly ending the war, would save mil
hons of precious lives, certain else to be
sacrificed to no purpose other than I'M
poverishment of the human race for cen
turtles to come.
Whether the comforting by the Presi-
dent of so many offenses during the past
two years has yielded actual gain to
humanity need not now be considered.
That he was enabled to say simply, in
words which none could dispute, that he
need give no further proofs anu asSur-
ances" that he had been indeed "the
friend Of peace" and still meant ito
preserve it for America so long as able,
surely constituted no mean background
for the prompt and resolute action which
so completely surprised Germany when
tame submission was fully anticipated.
So much at least is clear. And when
to the regretful assertion that he "could
do no less was added the solemn declar-
alton that "there can be no turning
back the President had full warrant,
regardless of past differences of opinion,
to beg from his countrymen that "toler-
ance, countenance and united aid" which
has been accorded in fullest measure.
If at at any time, while hearkening to
the timorous voices of Representatives,
whose fair constituents did not raise
their--boys to be soldiers or, speaking