The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-10-28
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

Recently I have been reviewing the pre-war utterances of our American paciffsts and miltarists and I hardly am able to determine which class failed most as prophets.
 The paciflsts were loudly claimant that 1t was impossible for America to ever be drawn into world war-forgetting that the last world war in which Ma poleon starred eventually reached across the broad Atlantic to bring the United States the war of 1872 and the Louis- jana Purchase, and that Washington was burned and sacked in 1874. 1 hundred years later when the great | conflict broke in the Balkans which was to involve the nations in the bloodiest war in all history-the United States was the single peaceful minded great nation of the earth. The pacifists were | unshaken in their belief that America ] would not be scorched by the confla- grafton.
 
 ing" in which even President Wilson gave utterance to the famous phrase in which he attempted to show the rabid militarists both at home and abroad that this country was "too proud to fight" It was also the hour when Mr. Bryan's mythical million were ready to spring to arms between sunrise and sum. set.
 Preparedness was the big word In many mouths. The man who wanted big army was set down as an alarm ist or indicated as having hope or profiteering out of involving America in the war. while on the other hand the one who advocated neutrality soon was pen alized by being regarded as an apostle of peace-at-any price. It was for awhile merry little academic war be- tween the two schools of thought.
 Then Germany, grown insolent. the words of Alexander Hamilton in l7S1 for he had stated that "The rights of neutrality will only be respected when they are defended by an adequate power" Later in the sinking of the Lusitania they were to become prophetic and burn themselves into the heart soul and mind of every red blooded American.
 Then some student of Americats past brought to light that James Monroe had in 1922 said, "The history of the late wars in Europe furnishes complete demonstration that no system of con- duct, however correct in principle, can protect neutral powers from injury from any party; that defenseless position and distinguished love of peace are the surest invitations to war, and that there is no way to avoid it. otherwise than by being always prepared and waiting, for just cause. to meet it."
 
 Then people began to wake up and see that there was a European nation which had made up it's mind to put to the test the Monroe Doctrine Our splendid facing German submarines when at first they paid us pop call and went back home having put us on notice that the Atlantic so far as modern warfare was concerned had diminished to the vanish ing point, and was of little more military worth than a river.
 The cry came for the speeding up of the navy and naval appropriations got through with unprecedented rush. Soon the public figured it out that mod ern navies had the power to protect transports, and this being true, there was possibility that the time might come when an unfriendly power might land troops on our shores A bigger navy was the forerunner of a larger army.
 
 Then began the contest between the volunteer" and the "conscript' idea My, how 1t ragged in the papers, maga- zines, and resounded in the halls of con- gress and reverberated in the stately Senate, and was banded in the clubs, talked in the stores, debated in the shops street" It ceased to be a matter of academic discussion when it invaded the realm of practical politics.
 
 The miitarst scare about the help lessness of America and the hopelessness of getting into shape to wage success full part in a world war in the light Of later events shows that they were as wide of the mark as were the pacificts who said the occa would never arise for the United States to defend her rights by force of arms. No wonder the central powers misjudged our potential strength and by repeated outrages out wore the patience of our peace-lovins President.
 I picked up the paper and read that more than two million Americans were | already overseas fit and ready for stren- uous service. and knowing of the hun dreds of thousands being licked into | shape in our army camps, and of the l feverish activity in shipbuilding, the great air fleet being got ready, the mu- nition plants working day and night | and the flotation of the six billion dollar l Fourth Liberty Loan taken in connec ton with the rest of the war activities | for humanitarian service, and the vic- | tories being won by our boys, and the crepe hanging military prophets who said America could not get ready seem as