Milford chronicle., 1922-02-17
Copyright. Western Newspaper Union
VIII
WHAT PERSHING THINKS

The appropriations of the five great
powers for military and naval pur.
poses in the year 1920 alone reached
a total of SIG, 251, ,1O1, a sum only
about $2,OOOOOO,OOO more than the
total for the whole fourteen years be-
fore the war.
1t all comes down to this so far as
you are concerned:
Every morning when you go to
work, or when you stay at home sick
on working day, Or even if you
are out of job, it has been arranged
for you to pay your fair share out
Of what you earn or should earn, Of
over $5,OOO,000 day for the support
of the army and navy. That is the
estimate for the fiscal year 1922
over S5,000,000 a day. I have General
Pershings word for it. You will have
to pay it. Five million dollars every
working day is a pile of money to
spend for insurance against attack.
And of course that is not all the
cost. What is the big idea? What do
you think about it? You will have to
pay the bill. Do you think about it
at all? General Pershing does. This
is what he thinks:
"As we consider the causes of the
World war and comprehend it's hOr-
rOrs, every thinking man and woman
must feel that measures should be
taken to prevent another such cal
amity. One step in that direction
would be to reduce expenditures for
armament. Our own estimates for
naval and. military purposes cOntem-
plate an appropriation for the fiscal
year 1922 of over $5,OO0,OOO for every
working day in the year. It is a
gloomy prospect that the nations plan
expenditures greater than ever before
in peacetimes.
'It would appear that recent ex-
periences should be enough to con-
vince everybody of the danger Of a
renewal of this competition. But one
nation cannot reduce ornaments un-
less all do. It is time that enlightened
people everywhere should undertake
to reach some rational agreement !
which would not only relieve the
world of it's heavy financial burden |
but which in itself would go far to-
ward the prevention of war. We are
not a warlike people. We do not |
wish to expand at the expense of any |
other nation, and we have no designs |
on anybody. If other people feel the |
same toward us and toward each
other it seems unreasonable that they |
should be unwilling to consent in
principle to some limitation of arma-
ments, to be carried out when other
nations succeed in establishing stable
governments and are willing to recog-
nize the wisdom of such a course.
may we not seriously ask
whether civilization is a
failure, and whether we are to regard
war as an unavoidable sc0urge that
mankind must suffer?
"There are other considerations
which should prompt us to make every
effort to bring about a curtailment of
these expenditures throughout the
world, particularly in the war-worn
of Europe. The people of
Europe have always been. our best
customers and are largely dependent
lpOn us for certain necessities we
must look to them to buy the products
)f our farms, mines and factories.
The prosperity Of our people depends
n no small measure upon the unin-
errupted flow of commodities abroad
We, have stocks Of cotton, wheat and
Dther products greatly in excess Of
ur own requirements, which the
eople of Europe sOrely need but
which we cannot sell and they can
lot buy because their fiscal systems
AVE broken down, their currencies
ave deprecated, and their purchasing
DOwer is exhausted.
"The first step to take in the re-
abilitation of the finances of all these
Ountries is to reduce the cost of
Qvernment so that expenses will not
xceed the incomes. Expenditures
lust be lowered everywhere If
nancial stability is to be restored and
the nations are ever to pay their
ebts. Until stability is restored none
zee and uninterrupted flow of products
rom one country to another. But this
lnnot be done if huge sums continue
, be appropriated for the mainte-
ance of large armies and large navies.
"The safety of humanity in the
lture, indeed the peace, the happiness
nd the prosperity of the racial
Dpeal alike for an early consideration
the question of limited armaments."
Broadly speaking, it is the man who
'Ofits, and not the simple average
an who endutes, who is behind all
lis movement for ever increasing
'mament. If you doubt this, just go
1t in your own neighborhood and ask
en- who were actually in the war,
hO saw service in the line, whether
ey want any more of it.
Scientific Query.
When we read about monkey stars
OOO