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The Commoner
VOL. 15, NO. 12
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Militarism Menace to American
People Says Gen. Caldwell
From Tho Huntington, W. Va
Herald-Dispatch, Nov. 17.
America is going to bo tho greatest
beneficiary oil tho war now raging
in Europe, but this material benefit
will bo offset to somo extent by the
fact that tho country will bo pushed
into a policy of militarism, in the
opinion of J. L. Caldwell, president
of tho First National bank, command
er of Bailey post and past command
or of tho department of West Vir
ginia, Grand Army of the Republic.
General Caldwell sees tho militaristic
trend on all sides in the adminis
tration activities and the creation of
scientific boards intended to build up
a great navy and to create a power
ful standing army.
"I am opposed to it," said ho, yes
terday afternoon. "A bully is never
a bully until he begins to feel that
he can whip everybody, and has tried
his fists a time or two. When we
begin to believe that we are the most
powerful nation in the world, wo. will
begin to seek fields of conquests.
"America has been successful in
all of her wars through her citizen
soldiery. They have proved them
selves to be tho best fighters in
tho world. Read history and you will
find that it was not the old regulars
who bore the brunt of tho Civil war
but tho raw recruits from factory and
fiold. The regulars knew more about
maneuvers, but when it came down to
plain old country fighters, the volun
teers wero the best. Tho whole sit
uation was illustrated by the case
of George B. McClellan, who was a
popular leader in the beginning just
because ho was a good man on dress
.parade. He turned out to know too
much about tho rear of his army and
;npt enough about the business of
pushing it forward."
Tho war in Europe will not be set
tled by forco of arms, in the opinion
of General Caldwell, but by the popu-
lar demands of the people, who will
ftnaly refuse to longer abide the ter
rible slaughter of humanity and the
destruction of property which is now
in progress. The people will demand
peace and an adjustment will be
reached, he thinks, through the in
tervention of neutral nations.
He is looking ahead and forsees a
time of reorganization of civic and
commercial affairB in Europe that
will be most trying.
"If the war should end, right now,"
he said, "it would leave the European
nations to meet an expense which,
incurred since the war began, is three
times as great as the total amount
which tho whole world owed for
war before. The people will stagger
u. er this debt and the able bodied
;mGi will leave their native countries
-and seek new fields of endeavor in
the United States, in Canada, in
South America or Australia. They
will leave the fruits of tho home
lands to be wrested by the old men,
tho cripples and tho women."
While the financial burdens of Eng
land and France is appalling, that of
Germany is even moro staggering,
thinks General Caldwell. Still a tre
mendous fighting force, able perhaps
to hold her own indefinitely against
tho combined enemy, who can never
beat her on her own soil, though they
may indeed drive her back to her
own borders, she is so affected finan
cially as to bo a practical bankrupt.
Regarding present conditions in
America, General Caldwell is highly
encouraged. He says the people are
beginning to take a profit from their
dealings in war munitions and sup
plies and that, aside from the war,
tho country is in for a season of pros
perity. He is not sure, however, that this
prosperity would endure if the war
wero to end suddenly and throw the
high-priced labor of America into
competition with European labor,
Which, he thinks, will be forced to
work for what it can get when indus
trial activities are again resumed in
tho warring countries.
PREPAREDNESS IN THE BIBLE
The President, an ex-president and
a would-be president are just now en
gaged in a game that might be called
"Search and ye shall find." They
are quoting Scripture as if obedience
wero compulsory, and we are re
minded of the days of Cromwell and
Cotton Mather when authority was
found for despotism and the punish
ment of witchcraft provided the
searcher could be the despot and, the
executioner of the divine purpose!
But the teaching of the Bible should
not be inferred from a particular
text that may easily be contradicted
by another; if we would learn we
must study the record as a whole.
Let. us see.
Isreal came out of Egypt and was
disciplined for forty years into a
state of preparedness then a na
tion in arms, a real continental sold
iery as described by the President,
broke into the promised land and did
what the Germans have done in Bel
gium and Serbia what we of the
south recognize as war!
Time passed and Israel sowed and
reaped and planted vineyards and
pressed her grapes until a people bet
ter prepared trod tho Promised Land
again into a bloody mire this is the
history of preparedness always a
bully finally meets the man who is
something more than a match for
him. Aster tho deluge had swept
over, Israel resumed his prepared-
I ness it is shown that under tho Mac
cabees ho reached tho perfection of
discipline and did unto others as had
been done unto him for a season.
The Roman camo and Jerusalem
died In agony the height of scientific
preparedness had been reached, for
that day Rome Wus mistress of the
world. Again we lift tho curtain and
find Rome sinking under barbarian
warriors who mocked at her pre
paredness and out .of tho welter the
modern world was born to repeat the
old play on the same old stage.
Came tho constitution of the
United States and won its way to the
regard of all the peoples of the
earth following the model provided
prophets tfrose who foretold the com
ing of the congress of the nations, the
federation of the peoples and the su
preme court of civilization. Is: it for
Americans to lose faith? Is it for us
to lead the New World into the abyss
wherein the Old World is vanish
ing? But if we lack faith may we not find
something better worth our regard
than the old system that has always
done evil in all lands? Shall we do.
for the Americas what Germany has
done for Europe? Let us pray that
this crime be forbidden by the people
of Washington.
But what if militarism be neces
sary as so many claim so many am
ateur statesmen unworthy to touch
the shoes of the great men gone be
fore, whose teachings they would
deny?
Then let us face the necessity like
men. If military preparedness ac
cording to the President's program
bo necessary then a military auto
cracy is needed the constitution is
a source of weakness none but
those scientifically trained to the
business of destruction should be
given authority. Let us avow our
purpose and follow the shortest and
cheapest road to our goal not even
our wealth of resources can supply
both military preparedness and the
waste of political jobbery. If mili
tary preparedness be needed, let
everything give way to this vital
make our government, our
- 9
crftln nnfnnnft 4-U ai
v,T. . , "v iaernacle in
which ho speaks. Last night thero
were hundreds and hundreds whn
waited patiently outside tho entrances
in a fine drizzle of rain, in the hone
that thero might yet be opportunity
to get within. They stayed until
there was no hope left; then depart
ed apparently disconsolate.
The determination of some of these
hundreds to hear Mr. Bryan was
graphically brought out on the stage
entrance. It was supposed that here
only members of the choir and of the
Ministers' association, under whose
auspices the Commoner made his ap
pearance, would be admitted. As a
matter of fact these, who possessed
tickets, had to fight their way through
the crowd. When these were all ad
mitted there was yet room for a few
others, and the scramble that ensued
might have indicated flight from a
destructive fire had not the crowd
been headed into, instead of out of,
the building.
fact
business, our property and our lives
subordinate to the need of defense.
Nothing less can give us prepared
ness if- we need preparedness we
must give everything for it or lose it
in a qurgmiro of weak aspirations
and infirm purposes. Go back to
Sparta for a model heed the exam
ple of Rome send for German teach
ers that we may be safe from an at-
tacrc ny uerman preparedness!
Jacksonville (Fla.) Times-Union.
BARGAIN OFFER
For Limited Time to New or Renewing Subscribers
THE COMMONER and Thrice-a-Week
NEW YORK WORLD, both
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Address Orders to THE COMMONER, Lincoln, Nbr.
TTE first commandment
From the Greensboro, N. C,
News, 'Nov. ,15.
William Jennings Bryan. Mmo-iinn.
ored statesman, lecturer and pilgrim
among the American people, preached
to the people of Greensboro last
night on the first of the ten com
mandments, "Thou shalt have no
other gods before Me." He appeared
at the Grand opera house just 30
minutes later than it was announced
he would be there; but the people of
Greensboro, it seemed like every one
ui mem, preceuea mm bv an hour to
an hour and a half. Bight o'clock
waB the hour, but long before 7 there
could be noticed a stream of people
going in tho direction of the gather
ing place. By 7:30 there was not a
vacant seat in the house.
The first .floor, balcony and gal
lery of the Grand were packed, and
mu aim women stood in the aisles
half wav to the orchestra pit, around
the walls of the building and in the
wings of the stage to hear this man
Bryan, whose magnetism appears to
attract alike those who believe in
him and those who denounce him
Certainly in Greensboro, . whatever
the subject and whatever tho con
ditions under which he appears, ho is
heard by every living soul who can
MISS ADDAMS AND PREPARED.
NESS
Chicago, Nov. 17. (Editor of Tho
Tribune.) In an informal discus
sion following my address at the
Social Service club last Monday even
ing, I was asked to define my posi
tion on the question of preparedness,
and to give some reasons for it. I
gave the following five reasons which
I had written out the day before for
another purpose, and wliich I am
therefore able to recall quite accur
ately. 1. The moment of panic is a bad
time to decide any matter, and what
ever the danger of attack to America,
none could be anticipated at the pres
ent time when all her hypothetical
enemies are exhausting their re
sources elsewhere.'
2. When the results of this war are
studied they will probably greatly
modify tha type, of defense which will
be employed in the future subma
rines vs. dreadnaughts, etc. At this
moment, the expenditure of, enormous
sums of money upon dreadnaughts of
the old frhioned typo is, to say the
least, a premature 'decision.
"3. It is hoped by many people in
Europe and America that one result
of this war may be the proportion
reduction of arna ' nts. At this mo
ment, to have America so markedly
Increasing her ''defenses" would
make it impossible for her to enter
such a plan with clean hands. By
taking action now she assumes that
any su"h plan 13 impracticable.
4. There is no doubt that if tho
United States yields to 'panic at this
moment and largely increases her
army and navy, other nations will
feel that they must also do this. The
action of the United States will have
a profound influence upon tho gov
ernments of South America and those
in Asia, increasing tremendously tho
expenditure of the people's taxes for
military purposes.
6. The fact that the United States
is preparing ag- nst even a hypothet
ical enemy will make it much more
difficult for her to act as a mediator
in ending the war.
I beg to differ w.h your statement
that the policy of preparedness is a
matter of "military technique." On
the contrary, it seems to me to be a
matter affecting the general policy of
a nation, whose very foundations
rest upon the convictions of its cit
izens and free discussion,
It is ceri-inly the prerogative of a
citizen to urge the postponement of
affairs have returned to a normal
tho entire matter 'Ptil international
condition. Jane Addams.
CAUSE AND EFFECT
Mrs. C .soy The doctor says yo
hove appendikitis, Tim!
Mr. Casey Och, Norah, Norah!
Whoy wor ye so, foolish as to show
him yer bank book?-rDallas News.