The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1932-03-10
WHY NOT STOP KIDDING
OURSELVES

Many of our pacitists profess to be-
lieve that America is the worlds great
obstacle to peace. The impression
they seek to create is that only the
bloodthirsty militarism of the United
States prevents the world from dis
arming. They oppose appropriations
for the maintenance of our regular
army, and Jane Adams even insists
on the dissolution of our National
Guard. They raise loud cutlery against
the slight military training given to
youth in some of our colleges and high
schools. They insist that if the rest
of the world doesn't beat its cannon
into plowshares Uncle Sam is all to
blame because he doesn't use his moral
guidance.
A recently published report of the
Foreign Policy Association shows just
how preposterous this pretense of
American militarism is.
France has given year or more OF
intensive military training since the
World War to 100000 men now in
the first line reserve. This is in adj
dition to million men in the second
line reserve. These men have all been
conscripted, and their training is not
of the incidental sort given in our
National Guard or in our colleges and
secondary schools. They are fully
equipped to be called into quick action.
France has as many trained army
officers as we have men in our regular
army-a total of 100000.
Little Czecho-Slovakia has been
calling up approximately hundred
thousand men year for real military
training, and has million men in her
reserves.
Poland has conscripted from 100000
to 10000 men a year since the World
War, and now has a reserve force OF
1,7OO,O 900 trained soldiers.
Italy has conscripted each year be-
tween 224,OOO and 100000 men, and
has a reserve force of some 100000
trained men. All of the Allies and the
new nations formed as the result of
the war, excepting England, maintains
this system of CONSUMPTION and the
building up of immense armed forces.
Soviet Russia has large army OF
conscripts, active and reserve, than
any other European power, besides
several millions more who have re-
ceived partial training.
We have in the United States lit
tie more than 100000 men actively
receiving such training. About $4,000
of them are available for mobilization
in continental United States. We have
more than twice the population CT
any of the nations mentioned other
than Soviet Russia, and greater ma
tional wealth than all of them COM
bined.
Yet we hear this constant cater
wauling against our comparatively in
significant military forces, not ade-
quate to quell an instruction of any
size, not to mention national defense
proportionate to what we have to
guard in case of involvement in war,
And while we do not expect war,
neither do we expect cyclones and yet
occasionally they come regardless of
whether they are invited, or wanted,
or not.
We do not wish or intend to main
tain in this country such armies as
are kept up in Europe. But in view
of the disparity between our military
strength and that of these other pow
ers, why is it that this is the only
country in the world, other than Eng
land, in which there is a formidable
movement to get rid of what military
defense we have?
This thought, too, occurs to many
Americans. If these nations can af-
ford to withdraw from productive &C.
equations so many millions of men at
great expense, why so much talk
about Europe being too poor to pay
the debts they owe this country? The
man who rides around in an eXpen-
sive automobile and then declares that
he can't pay his grocery bill would
hardly expect to get respectful
hearing from his creditors.
Now everybody knows that France,
Italy, Poland, Soviet Russia and the
smaller nations of Europe have no
more intention of disarming than they
have of taking wings like dove and
flying to the South Pole. Only those
who lack in comprehension of realities
in Europe believe that these nations
either want to or intend to disarm.
Asking them to disarm is like urging
wildcat to file his nails.