The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1943-02-24

Preparedness For
War May Become
Virtual Must"

w at vi dD DtColllc
Virtual Must"
IT USED TO BE the theory that
any nation with a big army and
navy automatically was oyerbear-
ing and scrappy; IT could afford
to be so, being fixed 10 lick all
others. or scare them into compll-
anee with It's demands, anyway.
Consequently, the pacitistic appeal
TO the world was TO minimize war
preparation.
The trouble was that a large part
OF the world paid no attention TO
il. The really quarrelsome cusses
went on srming 10 the limit The
gentler democraeies, however, act
ed largely upon the pacifists' a
gument
World War No ] was not much
OF an endorsement OF the pacifis
tic argument
True. the predatory Central
powers were trounced finally. but
This was accomplished only with
about four times the effort that
the peaceful bunch would have bad
to expend otherwise. Indeed. the
Kaisey's crowd probably would
not have started a row in the first
place. il they had not thought
they could win in a walk" against
all opposition. They almost did
That war over. there was an i'm
mediate boiler. a least from out
in the sticks in the United states,
for what President Warren G..
Harding called back TO normal
cy."
ASH have remarked before. wars
do not come close enough together
to be educational. Big ones are
about a generation apart.
After the last war there was an
element which urged that We ought
TO be loaded for bear" up to now
or thereabouts. The pacifists. how
ever, said. Nix; the less prepar-
ing we do. the surer we will be Of
no repetition OF our l917-19lS eX-
perience.
So the preparedness boys lost
out.
And look what happened!
Never again" is President
Roosevelt's motto. demanding ac-
ton 70 assure that there will be
no repetition OF the 191S-l94l.2 and
3 sequence.
The conclusion seems to be tina
a country, open to attack, had bet
ter be so ready to resist attack
that no other country will risk at
lacking il. That is THIS notion OF
pscifism-be too strong for any
rival country to attempt aggres-
sion.
That is the purpose Of the con
gressional bill sponsored by Sena-
tor Chan Quincy OF South Dakota
and Rep. James w. Wadsworth Of
New York.
Quincy and Wadsworth are Re
publicans.
But the bill is truly non-partisan.
The object is to keep us trained,
well-trsined, for war forever after
ward.
This will cost money-heaps of
it.
But the belief is that it will not
cost so much az do these gigantic
eyery-25-years-orso wars.
II will cost like fury now, Sena-
tor Quincy and Rep. Wadsworth
agree, but they surrhise that it will
be a tremendous economy for pos
terity. The question is, Who cares
for posterity?"
Also they think their scheme
will be a pacifistic influence.
Ad interim, II will be expensive,
nevertheless.
II will involve postwar. peace.
time competition with countries
like Germany and Russia, OF
course.
They may try to sneak up on us
militarily.
We may have to hump ourselves
10 keep ahead Of them.
They will have to do it, regard
less OF our program. So will Japan,
but Japan can be licked.
What the postwar world is going
TO be like Is problematic.
So postwar gambling is mat
ter OF speculation.
II involves questions Of present
day friends, as we'll as enemies.