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The Commoner
VOL. 16, NO. 3
20
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Growing Sentiment Against "Preparedness"
B. E. Erlckaon, Las Vogaa, N. Mex.:
I havo just absorbed tho contents of
this month's (February) issue of Tho
Commoner, and filled with enthusi
asm it has left mo, I can not refrain
from writing a fow lines rogardlng
my feelings concerning your admir
able stand in relation to tho "scared
noss" program. Your position has
been asaailed as one of cowardico
and unpractical idealism. In my
opinion your standpoint in more he
roic and courageous than that of any
other public man of today. Your
uncompromising stand for Christian
principles In international affairs, as
woll aB in mattors between man and
man, havo kindled within tho hearts
of thousands of peaco loving Chris
tians tho deopest reeling of respect,
honor and lovo. Your place within
tho affections of every right-thinking
citizen is daily becoming larger, bo
causo of your adhoronco to truth and
Christian principles In spite of all
tho howling of the jingoes and the
friends of the "scaredness" program.
I havo attempted, for tho sake of
fqirnoss, to discover some forceful
arguments in tho speeches and writ
ings of the "scaredness" peoples, but
all my endeavors havo boon in vain.
Even tho lato addresses of tho Presi
dent hlmsolf havo not succeeded In
bringing to my mind a single valid
arguments for "preparedness." On
the othor hand ovary page of The
Commonor is full of argumonts that
strike right homo to both reason and
heart, why tho preparedness program
Is based on a foundation of bllnd
noss, domontia, and cruol, selfish in
terests. I can not help to mention
in this connection the admirable ad
dress by tho Rev. Dr. Hardin of the
Third Prosbytorlan church of Chica
go. "I havo just finished reading it,
and it occurred to mo that every
jingo ought to read it, not on tho
train or on tho street car in a care
loss, thoughtless way, but in his
quiet chamber, giving duo thought
and meditation to its contents, and
lotting all tho splendid arguments
oxort thoir duo weight. Anyone who.
would not bo moved in favor of peace"
and humanism by such a proced
ure dosorves more the namo of a
brute than that of a man. I can not
understand the position of our Pres
ident, at present. I have been, us
much as anyone, his admirer until he
recently took up his policy Qf pre
paredness. I can not see what has
changed his mind bo radically. It
seems Impossible that his cool and
deliberate mind has been swayed and
turned by the rumors of war into re
ally believing that danger of attack
upon our country is at hand. There
must bo some other things resp.
elblo for tho stand ho has taken. Mv
earnest desire is that you may con
tinue to stand unflinchingly and he
roically for the principles of peace
and rlghtoousness, and In saying this
I voice the sentiment of millions of
compatriots.
to lot you know that thousands of
tho humble rank and file arc looking
on in wonder and astonishment, re
fusing to believe that such insanity
can bo consummated.
J. E. Pearce, Norton, Va.: Being
the editor of a weekly paper, I am in
close touch with the people, and it is
safe to say that two out of every
three are in sympathy with your
views and opposed to the militarist
propaganda. Since Wilson has gone
war mad, it is up to you to lead tho
great forces of peace and soberness,
or thero is no one else to lead them.
They aro everywhere, but, like Bheep
without a shepherd, but they will
hear your voice, one and all of them,
and follow you.
William E. Williams, Chicago, 111.:
I never voted for you as I have al
ways voted republican in national is
sues. But let me now express my
utmost appreciation of your stand on
military expenditure. You aro ab
solutely right. We aro less" in
danger now than at any time in the
last fifty years. I hope God will con
tinue to glvo you strength to fight
against military slavery in 'the United
States.
Joo Buie, Hillsboro, Tex.: "Righ
teousness exalteth a nation," bur
densome taxation never. The free,
indopendont and home loving citizen
Is tho nation's best defense. There
fore, instead of burdening the
shoulders of tho home builder with
taxes to build warships, for wars that
may never happen, why not aid in
the. building of homes by making the
burdens light. And instead of build
ing warships build ships ofcommerce.
That would enable the homo builder
to send hjs products safely and at a
reasonable rate, to the markets ol
tho world. A battleship is a contin
uous burden and tax-eater so long as
it is afloat. A ship of commerce
(might bo used otherwise in case of
war) is a revenue producer, instead
of a tax-eater so long as It is afloat.
And, when it has gone down to a
watery grave, it will be remembered
by tho good that it has done, and not
by the bunions imposed upon the
shoulders of those who love and
make the home. The people are
neither free or independent who are
burdened with taxes; and that gov
ernment, like the individual, who iB
a gun totor, is usually a coward.
Spurgeon Odell, Marshall, Minn.:
May all tho prayers and powers for
good sustain and uphold your hands
in your noble offorts to maintain
peace. Tho groat, silent majority is
with you. It is hard to get them to
glvo expression to their sentiments
in the form of letters and petitions.
The present preparedness program,
While the great powers aro in the
throes of death, is an insult to every
nation of Europe. It is a threat to
sleze tho markets of the world; It is
a challenge to war at tho earliest
moment they shall have time to ac
cept It. It is a bid for the onmlty of
every nation of the world. This brief
letter needs no answer. I only wish
A. H. McCarty, Fort Worth, Tex
as, addressed tho following letter to
Hon. J. H. Davis, M. C, house of rep
resentatives, Washington, D. C: Fi
delity to my convictions requires
that I extend you my endorsement of
your attitude and action toward the
"preparedness" propaganda now be
ing foisted on the country. To mo
this policy means, if carried mit nf
only the destruction of the prestige
of tho democratic party, but the de
struction of democracy itself in this
country. Peaco and progress aro
synonymous, war and wasto are their
antonyms; construction and destruc
tion can not proceed together, they
are as incompatible as freedom anil
slavery, in fact their meaning is the
same; war destroys freedom 0,i
through enormous debts enslaves the
people. War means debt in tho
shape of bonds, the word bond signi
fies bondage, the antithesis of free
dom. As to "preparedness," all Eu
rope has been preparing for fifty
years; look at Eurono now. "The
mills of the Gods KrInd slowlv, but
they grind exceeding fine." No man
or nation can destroy his neighbor
Its npighhor. with impunity. The car
nivorous animal that preys on the
weaker inhabitants of tho jungle
must some day be eaten himself. The
law of compensation is universal, "as
ye sow, so shall ye reap." We of
tho United States have taken first
rank as a nation of progress. Why
should we now reverse this policy,
turn our backs to peace, progress
and production, and start on the back
track .to destruction, death, and
damnation? Congress, by enacting
the proposed "preparedness" legis
lation, would practically throw down
the gauntlet and challenge the world
to war. A declaration of war would
bo no more illogical, it would be
merely a jump backward instead of
a more leisurely walk. We are be
ing constantly reminded of "our na
tional honor." If this phrase means
anything it is in the same category
with the "personal honor" of the
duelling code, and is outlawed by the
same principles. We also hear much
about "international law," "civilized
warfare" and so forth. These have
been proven nothing more than con
ventional phrases. Law implies rea
son, consideration for the welfare and
rights of others, the settlement of
differences by the arbitration of ju
ries; it means civilization. War
means the suspension of law and
reason, and the substitution of brute
force; it Is not civilized, it discards
every teaching and principle of civil
ization. Law is essentially a product
of civilization, when nations go to
war they cast aside civilization, thev
know no law, hence international
law has no application or meaning
to nations at war, and "civilized
warfare" is a mispomer, there can
be no such thing. I have allowed
this letter to exceed tho original
auuyu uiujiuiuu, out l round It neces
sary to properly emphasize my ab
horrence of this preparedness cam
paign. A. F. Vandeventer, Bartlesville,
nkla.: I am in full nwnvA w?tii tw,.
W. J. Bryan on the question of pre
paredness. I find this also to be
true with many people. The people
are not to be stampeded with the cry
that is now being raised to commit
our country to militarism. Onlv that
nation can survive which is built up
on justice not only to its own people
but to all the world. If force could
perpetuate nations Rome would have
survived and Greece would still
thrive. They were swept away ami
force could not preserve them. We
should learn frpm historv that we
can not survive at the point of guns
for the more we arm the more wo
increase the war spirit, and thereby
enhance the dancer of war. I en
close five subscriptions, the work of
ten minutes.
where they print daily ready-made
editorials on "preparedness," or en
tertain a nervous public with raw
head and bloody bones stories of some
foreign enemy that is going to in
vade America. The public needs cor
rect information on this insane "pre
paredness" that has been worked up
by those who are coining blood money
and want their traffic to continue to
prosper. Those who are truly patri
otic ought to organize a bureau of in
formation. The people are ail right,
but need correct information. The
war news from tho European war
centers is not more carefully sifted
and censored than is the ready-to-print
literature furnished the daily
papers by agents who are nothing
but advertising bureaus for the war
trusts. This "preparedness" cam
paign is a nation wide conspiracy as
dangerous to democratic ideals as the
Cataline conspiracy at Rome. It is a
money-made scare which depends on
gold and panic to accomplish its ends.
It is going to take the best American
ism that we have to defeat the sin
ister forces now at work to over
throw democracy in America. Give
us a great standing army, a great
navy and Roosevelt for president and
we will be as thoroughly Mexican
ized as was Mexico under Diaz. I am
grateful to an all wise Providence
that defeated Roosevelt in the last
election, and I am grateful to the
same Providence that has given us a
Bryan to fight the "preparedness"
crowd.
A. Jablonsky, Olivette, Mo.: I am
so pleased with tho stand Mr. Bryan
takes on "preparedness," -and the
fight he is making against -it, that I
feel like" helping the-cause' 'along-' by
securing a few new subscribers.
Herewith club of five.
E. W. Newman, San 'Diego,4 Gal.:
T am thoroughly in sympathy with
Mr. Bryan's views ort preparedness.
If one tenth of the effort were di
rected to the "cause of disarmament
that is expended in the false cause
of preparedness, I believe it would
be an example to the world - that
would teach men to think that we
should be "oui brother's keeper."
The old plan wh'ch Mr. Bryan op
poses so courageously teaches- that
we must be prepared to be our neigh
bor's butcher. The lesson of each
plan is absolutely unfailing in its effect.
A. F. Sanderson, Buena Vista.
Miss.: I am proud of the fact that
Mr. Bryan opposes the frenzied craze
for "preparedness" that is being fos
tered bv tho plutocrntic manufac
turers of war junk. The agricultural
south and west bear the burden of
the war taxes, and a few rich manu
facturers in tho east and northeast
would get the money. The daily na
pers are under the magic snell'that
cold always produces. No informa
tion antagonistic to the plans of the
preparedness" champions and dol
lar seeking patriots is allowed to pass
w mu! ul uie "nrenaredneR"
camnaicn. The uniformity with
which the daily press is proclaiming
the necessity for "preparedness"
shows how servile our American
newspapers are. It would no doubt
nroduce a sensation if it could -e
learned accurately how much money
some, of the daily papers are receiv
ing for space on their editorial pages
C. C. McLean, Greensboro, N. C:
The people are with you in-the fight
against the proposed expenditures
for war purposes. If there ever was
a time when America should go on in
the even tenor of her way, it- seems to
mo it is now.
H. Everett Farnham, St. Joseph,
Mo.: The tide for preparedness seems
to have passed in this "neck of the
woods," and about the only one who
seems to be prominently worried
about his country's safety is the
president of the Swift & Company
bank of this city, who is trying des
perately to galvanize the corpse. Of
course, he does not commit himself
as to whether he expects to enlist
right away ht-iself. Am delighted
with the current issue of The Com
moner, and believe that advocates of
peaco are bound to win.
J. H. Simpson, Hornbrook, Cal.:
I admire your stand on the prepared
ness plan, and believe nine out of ten
of the common people are with you.
I firmly believe what you have done
in the past and trying to do now the
greatest good to the common people
of any man living. If it Ms' wrong
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