The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1940-08-22

Children are born fighters; might
rules in the nursery until some bet
ter thing has been put into small
hearts and minds. And war has
ruled the world for a long, long
time.
Go Moral to Protect Booty.
But now, partly because of the
modern educators of newspapers,
news reels, telegraph, radio, sud-
denly great countries begin to be
a little ashamed of their long his
tories of violence and conquest. They
begin to hold up shocked hands at
those bad countries that try to steal
what they need, instead of just po-
Gtely asking for it. They are horri-
fed that anyone is still so old-fash-
Toned and stupid as to think that
guns are arguments. Having for
hundreds of years forced the most
brutal possible terms upon their en-
emies, they are panied and sur
prised that any country is still talk
ing of reprisals and impositions.
why must you go on fussing
about what we stole from your" they
ask plaintively. 1--WE are rich and
comfortable and satisfied, and it's
becoming extremely old-fashioned to
go on fighting this way. If you
haven't enough oil wells or wheat
fields or seaports-forget it, We're
using all we need, and we mean
to hold several we don't need, and
that's all there is to it,"
Anything like conferences, conces-
sions, understandings, plans, maps
anything like sympathy with your
neighbors, friendly talks, payments,
apparently never enters the heads
of European leaders. When they
become frightened over the weak
ness of their positions then they be-
gin feverishly to arm. Arms are
still the only arguments, on the 9TH
er side of the water.
Cry Peace With Pockets Full.
Oh, of course they SAY "peace!"
But they say it as robbers might,
leaving your house with his arms
full of your possessions. They say it
as a rich sleepy old lady might to a
noisy outburst from beggar children.
''Do go away and stop bothering
me. If you haven't any bread, try
eclairs!" They never say it in hon.
est generosity; they never say,
well forgive, We'll forget, we give
back this and help you buy that"
Never.
But one great nation has done
something in her short history to
start a new fashion. America has
always been shy about taking war
spoils. After the great war she in
nocently protested against the COM
placent partition and theft that was
going on so gaily among the allies.
1t wasn't her way to rob a fallen
enemy, even under the dignifed dis
guise of treaty" She would have
none of it.
The American Way.
Earlier, she made the Louisiana
purchase and paid for it, and France
has never questioned her claims to
it, nor hated her for having it..
America, to a chorus of derisive
laughter from Europe, paid for
the Philippines. When she wanted
Alaska, she bought it: Europe
couldn't get over the jokeI A great
nation, with an army, buying a
place that was undefended, almost
unoccupied, and that could have
been taken at the cost of only a few
American and Russian ivesl
But America made a friend and
not an enemy of Russia, and that
isn't so bad an investment.
like the American way. I glory
in the unafraid friendships that we
hold with our neighbors of the West
ern hemisphere. I am glad that no
Canadian, Mexican, Guatemalan,
Brazilian, Argentinian child is being
told to be good or the Americans
viii send bombs over to kill him. II
even one European nation would
learn to buy rather than steal treas
ure and territory, think we'd have
a happier world. To make friends
Of potential enemies is a godlike
power. Love is and. always viii be
the irresistible weapon.