Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 103, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 April 1912 — Adequate Armies and Navies Maintain International Peace. [ARTICLE]

Adequate Armies and Navies Maintain International Peace.

It is not unpommon for some person to rail against the expense of maintaining an army anil navy and those who do always speak of military education as “preparation for war.” Quite the contrary, the army and navy are maintained as a “preparation againßt war” and it is the security of our preparedness that makes war improbable and safeguards the Interests that would be in danger save for the preparation. Above all classes of people the soldier most hopes for peace, for he is the person who would bear the dangers of war. But he knows that ability to defend is the country’s greatest safeguard and that the time to abandon military training and the expense attendant thereto has not yet arrived. There was considerable relaxation prior to the Spanish-Ameri-can war, and when war was thrust upon this country we were unprepared for it. Lives were needlessly sacrificed because the country had not prepared against war. At the present time Mexico is indulging in internal dtssentions that would long ago have broken out Into terrible warfare with frightful losses had it not been for the fact of the preparedness of the United States to force a conclusion of the hostilities whenever they assume a very dangerous form. The lives of Americans in Mexico would not be worth a copper except for the fact of our army and its condition. The United States army bas rescued Cuba from the despotism of avaricious Spain, has established home rule and later exercised paternal guardianship over it to see that a stable government was established; it has made a progressive and happy island out of Porto Rice; it has started half savage Luzon and all the other islands of the Philippine group toward civil advancement and accompanying prosperity. And it has not been guilty of' a single persecutionary measure to indicate that it is deserving the impugnable charge that it is bloodthirsty for war. The results of its use have proven quite the contrary. It has saved thousands upon thousands of lives and cost but a small per cent of its savings. A few years ago there was a great cry went up from Boston about the military tendencies of this country and imperialism was brought forth and the issue of imperialism was brought forth and heralded countrywide as a menace to our happiness was threatening trouble with foreign nations and the same people of Boston who had feared so much about onr military and naval extensions wanted the entire fleet of the United States to come right up about Boston and protect it from harm. .. o No greater' curse could happen to this country than to have its army reduced or ith naval program seriously hampered and not a dollar is spent in these appropriations that does not bring corresponding return by the security our people have in its “preparation against war.” It is a safeguard that is wprth all it costs even in the face at sensational “peace" proclaimers who expect nations to suddenly cast aside all munitions of war what the mental condition of nations has not yet reached the spirit of brotherly love that makes such action practicable. Intemationai peace is a condition devoutly to be desired but for the present our greatest security against the horrors of war is our preparation against it. and peace is guaranteed by the maintain-1 ance of armies. \ - - - Butter wrappers, mmj Quantity* pu* Of printed, may be had at the Republican office. . . ' _