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Show t- I THE CITIZEN Command of the Atlantic means command of the eastern coast ' of the United States. It is a proposal that we shall subordinate ourselves in the Atlantic to Great Britain, that we shall abandon our plan to have a navy which shall be able to protect both of our coasts and agree to give Great Britain suzerainty over the Atlantic and all its shipping. Nay more we must contract with Great Britain that she shall be given the naval power which shall determine the destiny of the United States, for control of the Atlantic means control of America. If we enter into such a contract we shall become a crown colony of Great Britain. And Japan will have something to say about our control of the Pacific. We can obtain that control only in rivalry with Japan- In other words we can obtain command of the Pacific by preparing to wage war with Japan, whereas we shall have lost control of the Atlantic by a simpletons compact with Great Britain. And when the war with japan came the commander of the Atlantic could cripple us by displaying a benevolent neutrality toward Japan, by interfering with the shipment of supplies from European nations to the United States. Moreover, Great Britain could . take sides with Japan as soon as the war started, for there would be nothing in the compact to prevent such action. But it would smash the British empire to smithereens. By no means. The United States would be so weakened by the compact; it would be so much the under dog that no one, not even Canada, would hesitate to step on it. Such is the generous proposal made to us by our apparently emotional friend, the London Spectator. It is a generosity that has all the potency of a tear gas. As we weep with gratitude, repenting all the mean things we have said about great and good British empire, the. noose is drawn about our necks and when we dry our tears we find ourselves about to be dropped into obvlivion- i ' - BAKERS DEFIANCE. Secretary Baker, in 1919, demanded that congress establish an army of more than '560,000 men. Congress, acting wisely, cut that down 50 per cent and placed the size of the standing army at 280.000 and only made provisions for enough money to support an army of 175,000 men for 1920 and 1921. Instead of following the wishes of congress, Secretary Baker absolutely turned up his nose at our elected representatives and started a campaign to recruit men to the army, spending thousands of dollars on advertising. When congress went into session last December they discovered that he had an army of 220,000 men, which had made a deficit of $40,000,000. The military affairs committees of the senate and house of representatives got busy. A resolution was offered in the senate ordering him to stop recruiting until the number of men had dropped to 175,000, the figure for which funds had been provided by congress and they found it necessary to place Mr. Baker under bond to keep him from throwing away the public money. When Mr. Baker was demanding that no less than 200,000 men must be kept .under arms at all times, General Pershing said that 175.000 would be. enough. It was agreed that General Pershings figure was a safe one and that to go below that might be unsafe. The senate has now. settled on an army of 175,000, brought about by a resolution introduced by Senator Harry S. New of Indiana. The House,. Jack, adopted a. resolution by Chairman Kahn of the military affairs committee setting the army at the same figure, 175,000. Representative Mondell of Wyoming, Republican leader, said that when congress appropriated money for only 175,000 men, Secretary Baker knew what it meant. Instead of following it, said Mr. Mondell, the secretary of war in a spirit of pique and willfulness defied the will of congress and recruited 220,000. Democrats who are now squirming ought to be thankful, that this is not a resolution of censure. In all history there has been no example like the secretary of wars contempt and violation of the. peoples will as expressed by congress. EDITH CAVELL AND REPRISALS. It is only a few years since that all the world was sho because the German military government in Belgium executed Pa I Cavell. ' She had been aiding English and French prisoners to esca by a mysterious underground route into Holland and had h sheltering and feeding them while they were making their freedom. In the telling the story became one of the pathetic narrate of all history. The English government used it effectively as a of that propaganda which caused credulous folk and most of were credulous in those days to believe that the Germans m cutting off the hands of children. And after the war the Engfi did themselves honor by erecting a noble monument to her meot In Ireland today the British government is burning the of the people because they are emulating Edith Cavell. They refo r to betray their own people into the hands of the invading anA The government deems it necessary to wage war on women 1$ babies by burning down their shelters in the dead of winter. In their announcement of the policy the government employjl T fine , professional phraseology as if the army of occupation wJIg, doing only what was to be expected in the ordinary course of jt Under martial law, says General Strickland, armies are permittenbj even to raze towns. Yes, under martial law, armies can doanf C thing they want to do they can commit the most hideous atrocitj 5 and some professional soldier or statesman will be found to obsi the moral wrong with technical language. In Belgium Edith Cavell was protecting strangers; in Ire! the people are protecting fathers, brothers and sons. ' While the two races should be working together for the prei vation of civilization they are spreading their warfare around t globe. Less than three years ago they were fighting side by in France and at Galipoli against the threatened destruction of cr zation; now they are waging a warfare that brings delight ol to those who seek to annihilate civilization. ! MUI a J sii I WltSON AS A BARGAINER. :l Many have heard the story of the farmer boy who was sent y:l try to buy a neighbors horse. Said he, Father told me to offer fc a hundred dollars for the horse but to pay as much as $125 if I to. The result was what one might expect. It was in just manner that President Wilson went to the peace conference. El told the other conferees in effect, I have fourteen points which II like to have adopted, but Im willing to sacrifice everything for til Stafcf league if I have to. They took him at his word. The United did not even get equal rights on the Island of Yap, and the world fj in the form of a peace treaty. a 3 war-breed- er We have decided to stand by our allies ' and watch em. The world still prefers the dollar mark to the German mark. Oils well in Utah. Same say jazz is dying. We hope it goes where it belongs. Wherever we go we seem to be stepping on war tax. If you ask Japan whether she owns that island shell say Y3? We can spare the rod from the league. I t Outline of History wc think t History. After reading Mr. Wells to be called Out-liein- g Doyle is again writing detective stories. No doubt, to his spirits. ouf eep1 |