The Commoner
VOL. 15, NO. 10
12
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Fallacy of Some of the Arguments
in Behalf of Preparedness
the Montgomery, (Ala.)
From
Journal.
Recently the Journal urged calm
ness and reason in tho discussion of
tlio question of preparedness for war,
nd decried the agitators of thse
Roosevelt typo at this time, but it did
not underrate tho harm Colonel
Roosevelt had done, and was doing
by his speeches throughout tho coun
try. In referring to the antics of Den
nis Kearney in the days of "sand
lot oratory," it added, "but when an
ex-president of tho United States, a
restless and educated politician as
sumes tho role of agitator and gives
off effusions with tho university pol
ish, many people accept that as tho
utterances of a statesman," and this
opinion is almost daily confirmed by
articles jn newspapers and magazines
throughout the country, and even in
our own state.
The Collinsville Courier, a leading
weekly newspaper with marked in
dependence! has this to say on the
subject;
"In a long' editorial tho Montgom
ery Journal lambasts Colonel Theo
dore Roosevelt because be advised
tho youth of the country to keep
themselves fit morally and physical
ly for war. According to the Journal's
theory, our young men should keep
themselves poor and thin in body and
keep their minds on something be
sides war so that should something
come up, some great provocation
arise, we will bo in no shape either
morally or physically to fight. Listen
hero, Colonel Hood, the editor of
this sheet is now trying to raise up
six boys and before we would see
them grow up in six cringing cow
ards, to be kicked and cuffed around
by every Tom, Dick and Harry, or to
be a part of a nation like China now
is, like you seem to think we should
be, we would far rather well! Show
us a mother, whether or not she ever
heard Colonel Roosevelt, who would
prefer to see her son a slinking,
Blimy, low browed coward, than to see
him grow up a red-blooded, robust,
manly, bravo man, ready to fight at
the drop of a hat and drop It him
self? The great trouble about you
is this: It was Colonel Roosevelt who
said it, that's what hurts you."
And here comes Collier's Weekly
following along the same Roosevelt
ian lines of thought and agitation:
"Various individuals have dispa
raged the motives of the men fight
ing in Europe against the kaisers and
the Turk, and one loose thinker has
called this war of nationalism against
the would-be world conqueror 'the
causeless war.' This same politician
has cautioned his fellow countrymen
against taking 'unnecessary risks.'
Now, it is hard for us to be patient
when we have read such rubbish in
tho press. Without 'unnecessary
risks history would be the record of
life among the invertebrates. With
out 'unnecessary risks' there would
be. no Leonidas in history, no Colum
bus, no Champlain, no Wolfe, no Nel
son, no Emmet, no Washington, no
LaFayotte, no American republic.
Without the taking of 'unnecessary
risks' there would have been no Lin
coln. When the men who followed
Garibaldi from Rome asked him what
their reward would be, they were
answered: 'Hunger and thirst, for
ward marches, battles, and death.
Garibaldi and his thousand took un
necessary risks and freed Italy."
' This is argumentum ad Invidiam,
and is but an echo of the educational
campaign started by Roosevelt not so
much to get tho country aroused on
a preparedness for war as to arouse
antagonism to tho known peace pol
icies of tho administration.
When Mr. Bryan said that Amer
icans owed something to themselves
and the country, and should not take
unnecessary risks by going on bellig
erent vessels carrying munitions of
war it was a fair and respectful ad
montlon, which should be heeded.
It would be stupid in us to attmept
to explain to Collier's the meaning of
"unnecessary," but probably there
are some thoughtless readers of that
magazine that might be misled. Un
necessary according to our una
bridged dictionary is that which is
"not necessary, not required by cir
cumstances of the case."
To twist or try to pervert the
meaning of Mr. Bryan is unworthy
of Collier's. It is not argument and
can not be discussed seriously, how
ever considerately we may view it.
If a riot occurs in the street a man
has the right, and unquestioned right,
to go out and view it near or far, and
yet if a stray bullet kills him or,
even if he escapes unharmed, he will
havo taken an "unnecessary risk."
He will have been foolhardy.
No one may question his constitu
tional right to be there, but they will
question his good sense and judg
ment. If he had remained within
doors, or at a safe distance from the
scene, he could not be called a cow
ard, but a man of discretion and
sense,' who had simply taken the or
dinary precaution of a sane man to
protect his life.
If it was a part of his business to
be in the mob to be there to uphold
the law in the performance of duty,
he would not have taiten an "un
necessary risk.'"'
When Columbus started on his
voyage of discovery he believed he
had a great mission to preform. He
had a clear and definite aim in view.
It was a risk, but not an "unneces-
type and character, beloved and re
spected throughout tfieir lives by
their fellow-men, somo of them
achieving the highest honors at their
hands, who never had occasion to use
physical force in their dealings with
their neighbors men who did not
look for slights and insults, and re
ceived none. They did not have to
"tote" a pistol or carry a dirk, or
brag or bluster to get along in the
world with their neighbors.
And they died, as they had lived,
at peace with the world, beloved and
respected by all who knew them.
As with individuals so it is with
nations.
It is the nation that is going about
looking for trouble, that is looking
for slights, that is trying to play the
bully, and which generally gets what
it is looking for that needs to be pre
pared for war.
sary risk."
When Champlain, and Wolfe, and
Nelson, and Emmet, and Washington,
and LaFayotte achieved their vic
tories, they were in the performance
of patriotic services to their country,
and took necessary, not "unnecessary
risks."
The difference is apparent to every
intelligent reader whether blinded
by partisan zeal or not; and it is diffi
cult to believe that any newspaper
or magazin editor would seriously
present such an argument.
As to the points raised by our es
teemed Alabama confrere, Editor
Smith of the Collinsville Courier,
who asks the Journal to show him a
mother "who would prefer to see her
son a slinking, slimy, low-browed
coward than to see him grow up a
red-blooded, robust, manly, brave
man, ready to fight at the drop of a
hat and drop it himself," the Journal
would suggest that in its opinion the
average mother would prefer her son
to be neither a "slink in grslimy, low
browed coward," nor a bully or a
braggart, not "a man ready to fight
at me arop or a nat ana drop it him-
seii.
The Journal is inclined to the
opinion that she would prefer a boy
whose dignified manner and bearing
gave evidence of good breeding, who
is respectful and self-respecting, and
who commands the respect of others
by reason of his intellect, and the
other qualities referred to, and who
doesn't have to be a bully and a
braggart to command respect of his
fellow-students or fellow-men.
The Journal happens to know quite
a number of men who have achieved
success in life, men of the highest
AN APPRECIATED COMPLIMENT
As an offset to republican attacks,
the readers of Tho Commoner may
enjoy the introductory address de
livered by Mr. Robert H. Mangum at
Selma, Ala:
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Saint Paul sounded the note of his
kingship among the sons of men
when he described tho vision that
came to him on the road to Damascus,
and said:
"Whereupon, 0 king Agrippa, I
was not disobedient unto the heaven
ly vision."
Thirty years or more ago, a young
American caught a splendid vision of
service to his fellow men and devo
tion to his native land.
It kindled a flame of love upon the
altar of his heart; it animated his
brain with dynamic force; it lighted
his eyes with inspiration; it tipped
his tongue with persuasive power.
Today that man, no longer young,
but with the spring of youth still In
his heart, that splendid vision still
guiding his feet, can stand before any
American audience and say:
"Whereupon, O people, only king
in this God blessed country, I was
not disobedient unto the heavenly
vision.
The Young Men's Christian Asso
ciation of Selma, takes pride in pre
senting to you this man
"Whoso strength is as the strength
of ten, because his heart is pure."
Honorable William J. Bryan of
Nebraska.
MILLIONS FOR GOOD ROADS
Judge J. M. Lowe, president nf it
National Old Trails association t
ceived a letter recontiv '
1. !? Komi!
-""& "y "o uuu uecome converted
to the real good roads idea and tho
way roads were being built around
Los Angeles. The Kansas Citian J
R. Cunningham. 40 R 2 wnJ..,:
Boulevard, wrote as follows:
"Many Missouri counties can learn
a great lesson from the enclosed
newspaper clippings. When one con
siders the large amount of mountain
and desert land not subject to culti
vation in these California counties
and one county of thirty thousand
people, Ventura county, voting one
million dollars in bonds for good
roads, I, being u Missourian, can not
help but feel that we are terribly
slow and backward.
Bonds Paid for Themselves
"I have been in Los Angeles county
six weeks, and find their hundreds of
miles of country boulevards (not
rock roads in name only) have more
tban paid for themselves in a few
years. Where it was impossible to
haul a ton over the sandy and dusty
roads before rocking, they now haul
ten and twenty tons. It is a common
sight to see a truck loaded and two
to six trailers behind bringing the
farm products in to market.
It has been a liberal education to
me. I shall return to Kansas City
October 1, and I want to enlist at
once in your campaign for better
roads in Missouri.
The Inclosed clippings tell of the
money that has been spent and is be
ing spent in the counties around Los
Angeles for rock roads. Besides Ven
tura county, which has less than 30,
000 population, with its million dol
lar bond issue, other counties have
spent as follows:
Los Angeles County $3,500,000
Kern County 2,500,000
San Bernardino County. . 1,760,000
Riverside County 1,125,000
San Diego County 1,500,000
Imperial County 600,000
All these recent bond issues for
county rock road systems are addi
tional to the 18 million dollar state
bond issue and another 10 million
dollar issue which will be voted on
next year. Kansas City Star.
. J1? may b0 Painfully conscious
that he is not worthy of so generous
a eulogy and yet cordially appreciate
the spirit and friendship that prompt
ed it.
A BETTER USE FOR OUR MONEY
nAt,.01' ansas' Sept. 17, 1915.
Editor The Commoner:
i hav.i read the September num
ber of Tho Commoner. Would to
God every mother in the land had op
portunity to read same paper. Pre
paredness would get a severe jolt. I
think that Mr. Ford is the one man of
!?!? W,ealth ?at, sees the situation
from a humanitarian standpoint, and
f the men that are figuring on spend
ing large sums of money on a lareer
army and naw. mnmr .i . r. .
- ;-.f ijr UjL vvuum nave
been favored by special tax laws to
Snr?nfU heir wealth, would spend
Swif the.time t0 assist a democratic
president to pass a rural farm loan
law, to encourage the young men of
the country to procure farms and
homes, instead of endeavoring to loan
their hoarded wealth to warring na
tions for the purpose of protracting
the present awful condition in the old
world, they would be serving their
country better. b luelr
Yours truly,
Ex-Chairman KansaT Demonic
State Committee. auQ
HOW ABOUT IT, MR. TAFT?
Kirksville, Mo., Sept. 25, 1915.
To the Editor The Commoner: The
following clipping is an editorial in
the Des Moines Daily News of the
24th:
"Cousin Bill Taft advises the Uni
versity of California college men thus
ly: " 'I would begin at the bottom. I
would attend every primary caucus
or meeting of the party to which I
allied myself. I would try to get ouj
the vote at election time. I wouifl
study political questions; would read
the' congressional records and sub
scribe for some good newspaper. Then
I would seek an opportunity' to speaK
on current issues.'
"But Mr. Taft overlooks one im
portant thing. He fails to comraeim
a paper to the political novitiates.
Would The Commoner do, Jrer
Taft."
As I have been reading The Com
moner for a number of years, i ca
cordially recommend The Commonei
to the junior ex-president as suggest
ed by The News. Mr. Taft will fin u
much needed information in Its cm
umns that will bo of service to mm
if he shall ever aspire to the tasK u
helping the common people, or wuu
he knows too little. T
S. S. STILL.
People who pay grudges rarely
worry-about paying grocery uihs.
Deseret News.
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