The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-06-01
Holy Crusade Urged
 To Save Democracy
America Went to War to Purify America, But Instead
 Drugged It, Ayers Rev. Dir. John Walker

"One of these days we may hear the cry raised that the only way to save democracy is to smash fascism or communism as the case may be-" asserted Rev. pr. John c. Walker, pastor of the Second Congregational church, in his sermon Sunday morn- ing.
 'The idea will be to launch an- other great and holy crusade to save liberty and democracy. Be- fors we get involved again won der if it might not be the part of wisdom to ask how many of the vaunted ends and aims of the last great war were achieved? Keep these slogans in mind, "The war to end war; To smash mihtarism,' TO make the world safe for democracy and so on. Surely we don't need to tell you what happened to those ideals we intended to defend and save! Surely you have some knowl- edge of what was going on behind the scene and how much of terri torial and financial imperialism was involved! There is a man in the United States senate, the Hon. orable George w. Norris, who voted against the American entry into the war. On the twentieth anniversary he was still unrepentant. We went to war to end militarism and there ,F more militarism today than ever
 ,efore, We went to war to make the world safe for democracy, and there is less democracy today than ever before. We went to war to de- throne autocracy and special privi- lege, and they thrive everywhere in the world today. We went to war \ to purify the soul of America and instead we only drugged it. All this and more the war brought us. It ' is the harvest from what we sowed." N "One of the most famous of gener- als, none other than General Ulysses s. Grant said, There never was a time in my opinion when means could not have been found to pre- vent the drawing of the sword Force is all conquering,' said Presi- dent Lincoln, but its victories are short-lived.' Some other man whose name is unknown to me said, Force never settled anything even when it was on the right side.' That last statement may be open to exception but certainly the last war was not one of those exceptions.
 Here's another fundamental ques- tion-'Who goes there?" Every old soldier remembers the challenge of the man on guard. But turn ths. N question on the personnel of the N victims of the last war. Who goes | there? 17,000,000 dead-17 ,000, ,OO0 soldiers and sailors killed in the :ast war. Who are they? Statesmen? Politicians? Big-navy advocates? Munition manufacturers? Business K leaders whose factories hummed during war times? Editors whose 1papers love to stir up international bad feeling, because it helps circu- lation? No-none of these. Just leverage citizens, young men with their lives before them."
 K ''The way to secure peace is to be iso much stronger than your enemy that he will not dare to attack you.' That's Winston Churchill but it is also the philosophy of millions of people the world around. lThere is one flaw in that logic and 1t is very serious ono. Apply the lold proverb, Sauce for the goose is sauce for the ganger." If the prescription is good for England or flor America 1t is good for Englands |neighbors and for Americas neigh |bors. All armies, all navies, ali these fleets of bombrs, are for de- fense, all meant to make the other nations afraid to attack. The ma F|tions of the world are spending $l5,- |OOOOOO this year on defense of this Sort according to the Hon. Hamilton Irish, three times as much as they spent three years ago and tour times las much as in 1914. How very safe land secure we shall all be if this lgoes on much longer. Surely the lmilitarists are prepared to confess that we are taking their medicine in large enough doses.
 Of course this whole question about adequate defense hinges upon |your definition of defense. The ,Japanese have curious and pre-. }verse habit of speaking of our de- ifensive measures as aggressive. The military party in Japan can always depend on our support at the criti- lcal time. In response to our naval cxpension policy an editorial in one of .Japan's greatest newspapers dVoiced this fear: 'Something akin to new danger is upon us. It arises from the provocation attitude as- suIned by the United States. An