Idaho County free press., 1924-08-21

triumph, its sponsors declare we may
! shortly be called upon TO defend our
selves without being prepared and,
therefore, will sustain heavy losses
that might have been avoided. 1t
seems we are in for it from either
horn of this set of prophesies and
that we may not look upon this word
war with any assurance it is to have
no sanguinary offspring
1t is a pity the subject has to be
dragged into politics, and more so
that it has to be dragged into re-
ligiOn. At the same time one must
concede something to the ministers,
who are arrayed so strongly against
the proposal. First of all, they are
guided by insistently impressed and
long observed precepts; and, again,
they are not to disregard lightly the
attitude of their ecclesiastical heads
amy MORE than General Pcrsbing
would easily set aside the policies of
his military superiors. 1t is beyond
belief, however, that as a class they
would shirk the duties of citizenship,
much less haul at the flag.
In this day of repeated question
naires, if each minister were to be
asked: ''In case the United States
should become involved in war, would
you be for the United States or a.
gainst it? Answer Yes or No." it Is
undOubted there would be as vigorous
chorus of "Yes" from our pulpits
as there was during the war. And
the cause of this assumed new war
need not be considered. The fact that
the United States has never yet pro-
vOked a war strongly supports the
conclusion that public sentiment in
this country would never authorize a
war excepting for defense of itself
and humanity
No one wants war. The natural
disposition of people is to live in
peace; but no one wants to be shot
at or bombed with nothing more than
a hymn book with which to respond.
doubt if there are any ministers
who would stand for being slapped in
would not tackle that way without
expecting to be struck. There are
too many of them taking Y. M. c. A,
athletic courses.
A nation is an aggregate of indi-
viduals, both in sentiment and In
strength. Life with the individual is
a ceaseless preparation; so with a
nation. 1t ought to be sensibly pre-
pared to defend itself from foreign
foes just as the individual from in
sidiOus germs and industrious sim
ners.
This Defense Day might have
been more happily named, although
by some other designation 1T pr0bab-
ly would have aroused as terrifying
political tempest. However, this in
voice of man resources will be TAX
en-. The event viii come and go and,
after the November elections, pass
into forgotten history; but this will
never be forgotten-that, whether
native born or naturaliZed, all good
citizens are oath-bound to support the
constitution and the flag and to rec
Ognize constituted authority.
Meantime, we should all resolve to
employ tolerance to the end that we
be not seriously divided against our
selves, not only as related to some
foreign foe but with respect to foes
at home who are ever tearing at the
constitution and snarling at the flag
The above monograph written by
the Idaho veteran newspaper man
and Secretary of the Idaho Editor
ial Association, Guy Flenner, while it
may not conform exactly to your or
our ideas ON Defense Day, yet the
arguments are timely, and worthy OF
thought.
Editor.