Jasper County Democrat, Volume 17, Number 71, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 December 1914 — PREPARING FOR WAR. [ARTICLE]

PREPARING FOR WAR.

Republican papers are trying to make political capital out of the foot and mouth disease, laying the blame onto the democratic tariff bill. The statement is made that the dis? ease was brought from Argentine in a consignment of hides, and that these hides would not have been brought in had it not been they were placed on the free list by the democrats. The only trouble with this statements is that hides were placed on the free list by the Payne-Ald-rich bill in 1909. and up to date no' body has accused the democratic party of being responsible for that measure. If free hides are responsible for the foot and mouth disease, then the blame for this plague is'to be laid at the door of the republican party, which gave the country free hides.---Pulaski County Democrat.

it is hard to understand why anyone should be surprised, much less shocked, to learn that this country is not prepared in the accepted sense of the word—to repel a large invading army. For it never has been prepared. No investigation is needed to prove that it is not so prepared today. The fact is obvious, and admitted. Why, then, this sadden outcry over our supposedly defenseless position? The question really i-, whether we shall surrender oitr Ideals, and de s part from our century-old tradition. Never was there less reason for doing so than today. There is not a nation ip the world that could attack us at the present time. Nor is it likely that any one would think of doing so after the present war is over. We could hardly have a better guaranty, of peace than the impoverished and enfeebled condition of the great powers when they emerge from , this awful struggle in which they are now engaged. Not one of them would go to war with us unless

we forced it to do so. Indeed, it would be no easy matter to drive them into war with the United States. This country has never been invaded but once, and that was a century ago. Never was it safer than it is today. There is a great obligation resting cm the people of the United States that of pointing Europe to rhe better way. Our very oinpreparedness—so called—is of itself an object lesson. The peoples of the old world who have bankrupted them s Ives in preparing for war can not ■ >. be impressed by the spectacle of a great republic trusting more largely to moral influences than to battleships and armies. Instead of naturalizing militarism here we should do everything in our power to redeem the world from its clutches. That is our mission at the gresent time, and none could be nobler. We can best serve humanity by being true to our own ideals and traditions, which are all unmilitary, ft is admitted by all that we are likely to play an important part in re-establishing peace. But no peace is of much value that does not grow out of a peaceful spirit. We must do what we can to change men’s minds, to alter their point of view. This we can not hope to do if we enter the peace conference, panoplied in armor, or in the midst of hysterical preparations to repel 'invasion.” We are glad to believe that the President has been utterly uninfluenced by the wild talk that is now going round. Vor is there any evidence that the people have been impressed. On the contrary, they seem to be quite calm. Perhaps they are somewhat suspicious of the sincerity of the demand nor a great strengthening of our armed.power. Certainly it came with surprising suddenness.—lndianapolis News.