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Show F CONCERNING "PREPAREDNESS" I By HENRY FORD H Tho United States, I believe is H confronted by tho greatest danger n B- its history. It is not an external dan- H ger. Ab tho President said In New M York on January 27: "Nobody scrl- Km ously supposes that the United Hb States needs fear an Invasion of its Ej own territory." H Our danger is Internal. Wo are M confronted by tho danger of mill- Hgl tarlsm. H Tho very burden that caused thou- Efl sands of men of all races to como to H the United States In search of a hnv- VJ en of peaco, to escape tho tolls of H militaristic government, now 1b be- Hflj Jng preached throughout tho lnml by B men, by newspapers, by magazines, M moving pictures and lit (net every H medium of Intelligence " H r- Conscription, tho bnso of mllltar- H ism is advocated openly, H ' And It is all dono under tho gulso B of patriotism. Tho ling Is flaunted H beforo the eyes of tho pcoplo nnd H wo aro told that our "national lion- H or" is at stako. B Tho Haunting was started by an H organization of men known as tho M Navy League It has been taken up M by really patriotic men, fearful of H the danger which this leaguo Mrst H discovered. Other of theso orgnnlz- M ntlons started up and mado their cry H tho danger of Invasion and tho need M of preparing for It. Tho Secretary of tho Navv and other officials were H mado tho objects of attack becnino H they, knowing tho truo condittonR, H refused to becomo hystcrtcal. Congressman Clydo II., Tavcnner H delivered In tho House two remark- H nblo speeches "Tho World Wido H War Trust," and "Tho Navy Leaguo H Unmasked" giving startling revels- H tlons of an organized body of war H trafTlckors who promoto war and pro- H paratlon for war "preparedness." H Ho charged that tho Navy Leaguo, H which inspired and financed largely H tho present agitation for "propara- H tlon," was founded by a group mado H up largely of war trafllckers. Ho H ( also charged that among tho most H i actlvo members and officers of tho h ' 1 Leaguo today nro men who not only H will profit from preparedness, but who actually hold a monopoly on tho H materla's for war which the govern- H ment must purchase that theso war H trafficking men nro In agreement with H war munitioners of Europe, barring H I tho possibility of tho United States H ( government purchasing supplies of . war at any prico hut that fixed by H ; the wnr tratllckcrs of tho United States. Mr. Tnvcrnor'B charges nev- er havo been refuted. I Tho very men who pile up tho nr- H mament of nil nations nnd It U v true that tho samo llrm will often ' nrm both sides In a conlllct will llnd . an enemy for any country they nrm. And they will nrm that enemy, too, I for tho profits on nruis nro grout, and tho Industry Is n monopoly. B This stnto of affairs has been H brought right homo to Americans In H tho past few years In Mexico, whoro H wo havo seen tho fame arms nianu- H facturcrs arming every sldo. And H tho President, by raising tho cmbnr- go on arms, critnlnly did nothing for B the peace of tho world. BHBJ Wo ought to rcnllzo that It Is tho BBBJ pcoplo 'who not only pay tho bills ot BHBJ these munitions makers, but pay the BHBJ penalty also In the death nnd misery BHBJ tho use of these arms must bring. BHflJ Do wo need preparedness? BBJ Tho President himself, In his BHBJ speeches made recently In tho Mid- HHH dlo West, could find no fear of luvn- HHH slon, nnd his Inconsistencies were BHBJ pointed out even by the most nrdent HHH editorial advocates of the prepared- BHBJ ncss plan. In December, 1914, tho HHH 1'iesldcnt, lu his messago to Con- BHBJ I cress, said: "Let there bo no mis- HHH' conception. Tho country lias been B misinformed. Wo have not been H negligent of national dofenso." H Since that time tho President said 'r had changed his mind. No person- H rl vaccination, however, can change B do facts, and in spite of rumors and H ..uggestlons of fear there hnva boon 1 r.o material facts placed before tho nple of tho country to show that H 1 1. -J President had any military reas- Hl on for his change of mind. H Iho people Hhould think for them- 'jeh's nnd demand to know tho Whatever tho standing of tho conn- H try's safety, this much Is duo to tho H peop'o; they should bo allowed to hare tho secret terrorizing dispatch- H eg the President declared In his re- H cent tour ho received almost hourly. Tho nation Is freat enough and tho H peoplo Btrong enough to bear tho worst ta know what threatens them. H Not only that, but it is the right 1 of tho pcoplo to demand of their H President tho causes for Ills alarm. And If that alarm is not genuine, H they havo a right to know why it was uttered by the head of the n?-tlon. n?-tlon. Tho people of tho United States are patriotic. Uut it is tlmo for all to realize that patriotism docs not consist merely of dying for one's country. I believe that patriotism consists moro In living for tho benefit bene-fit of tho wholj world, of giving others oth-ers a chance to Ilvo for themselves, their country nnd the world. A man is naturally patriotic and to cry patriotism pa-triotism at him as is now being dono throughout tho country Is moro of an Insult than a compliment. I bcllovo, too, that many moro men havo died because of ambition, avarice avar-ice and Insincerity than ever died in n Just cause. I havo dedicated my life's, work to the. education of men oh ilils subject with tho hopo that If war comes again men will know beforo they march ugalnst tho machine mach-ine guns whether thoy nro marching for n Just cnuso or for ambition, nvarlco and insincerity. it Is n regrettable fact that many of the mediums of education In tho United States havo been swayed to tho cry for big armnment. Not only Is this truo, but It Is equally true that theso samo organs have bred racial hatred by tho printing of Incendiary Incen-diary news stories and articles, preaching fear of one of tho European belligerents, giving prominence to rumors of unneutral nets of violence, nnd paying slight regaid to official denials of tho same. These organs tell us that ono of tho warring factions In Europo is bleeding to crush militarism, yet in tho samo pages tho assumption of this beginning of militarism is declar. ed to bo tho solemn duty of the United Unit-ed states. For a hundred yenrs, with Europo fully armed and strong, wo havo been safe. Now, with Europe locked In a deadly cmbrnco and bleeding to denth wo are called upon to fear Its invasion invas-ion of our shores. Tho following from tho New York Times of February f, printed prominently prom-inently by tho times, but not conspicuously conspic-uously trented by tho great majority of city newspapers,' gives Borao Idea of tho facts. I "Washington, February 8. Testimony Testim-ony that p'cased the pacifist clement In the House wos furnished to tho Committees on Milltnry nnd Naval Affairs today by (Jon. Nolson A. Miles N. S. A., retired, nnd Renr-Admlral Victor Ulue, Chief of tho Ilurcau of Navigation Gen. Miles said ho did not fear nn Invasion of tho United Stotes nnd that an Invading enemy could quickly ho driven from tho country. Admiral P.luo declared tho navy now wns ready to meet any enemy it might bo called upon to encounter en-counter In tho Pacific." And, remember, nsldo from tho fnct that nothing moro than generalities general-ities regarding tho possibility of nny attack havo been advanced In Justification Justi-fication of tho nttempt to work up nn nrtlftcla' hysteria as n preliminary to Inoculation with tho rabies of wnr. Thono who havo opposed this militaristic mili-taristic scheme havo been charnter-Ized charnter-Ized na cowards, po'troons and unpatriotic. un-patriotic. Thcv nro less cowardly than tho most nrdent militarists, be-cnuso be-cnuso It is fear that Is inspiring thoso who nro no t looking for tho protltt. And thin fear Is n fear without foundation found-ation In reason. Is It unpatriotic to wish for world peaco Instead of a universal un-iversal war over commercial rights of n few men or to uphold an unpopular government? Tho sooner tho government of tho world gots down to n business bnsls the bettor off tho world will bo I cannot concelvo how any huslnnis man In tho United States, after viewing view-ing tho result of milltnry preparation In Europo, realizing tho geographical situation of tho United Stntes, ond considering the result of tho Dardanelles Dardan-elles operations, cou'd so nllow his fears to bo played upon by military bargainers ns to npprovo tho plan to make this nation nn armed camp. There havo been fino words nbont "preparedness" nnd "militarism" being be-ing totally different, hut Kuropo knows today that tho only difference Is In tho spelling. Congressman Kltchln, who has risked risk-ed his leadership of the Democrats In tho Houso to opposo tho preparedness prepared-ness mensure, calls attention to the fact that tho United States haa been spending of lato years a greator part of Its revenue for military equipment equip-ment than has any other nation In tho wor'd. With tho billions that j would bo spent under tho proposed extravagant prosram, tho taxpayers j would bo giving nearly "0 por cent of what they contribute to government govern-ment rovenuo, for tho support of nn army and nnvy. Would nny man, preparing to light a llro in his shops, Btoro thoso same shops with tons of Inflammables? Yet that Is what preparedness does. And then, of course, must como tho Inevitable. What Is tho share of tho man who pays for all this? It is tho burden of supporting tho vast machine until soino few men lose their heads and touch tho spark to the ready built kindling pile. Then ho must give his life, or como homo a cripple For thoso who remain re-main at the end 0 tho sad folly thero is high taxes nnd crcpo on tho door. Men sitting nround a tablo, not men dying in n trench, finally settto tho differences, anyhow. If ono hundredth of ono per cent of nil that has been spent on thl kind of preparedness was used to do away with national and International differences built up by a diplomacy originating in tho Dark Ages, war would hnvo ceased long ago. Every man must ndmit that the method Is foolish. And even the old tlmo glory of war Is dead, the victim of science, Then why cn tlnuo? Why not begin now to build a machinery ma-chinery of reason to do tho worn that the machinery of forco has not J accomplished? That is tho great duty du-ty facing thoso who govern. In all the maze of argument for preparedness the facts are few. Hut oven its most ardent advocates call attention to the coincidence that thu Is a Presidential ejection year. If tho cause lies In this fact, and I can hardly believe It, because 1 am not very well versed In political tricks, It Is time for tho voters to remind their Congressmen nnd any other candidates who may seek their favor that the pcoplo will not spend their monoy to arm for invading ghosts conjured up by tho President or any other man, bo ho a real patriot pa-triot or a munitions patriot. Let tho President and others who nro preaching this doctrine of fear point out the enemy, let them prove tho enemy comes upon us, and every ev-ery American Is willing to lay down his fortune and his Hfo nt tho feet of tho President, ns Americans havo dono before Hut tho samo Americans, a hard headed business people, will not lay down a nickel if they becomo convinced con-vinced thnt they are paying merely for nn election or a reelection to the White Houso under the guise of defense de-fense of homo und fireside. And theso Americans havo a very disconcerting discon-certing way of showing their practical practi-cal impatience with fairy tales. I strongly urge every American who Is interested In this subject that should interest all, to write to Hon. Clydo II. Tavennor, House of Representatives Rep-resentatives onico Building, Washington, Wash-ington, D. C, for tho speeches revealing re-vealing tho motives at tho bottom of tho preparedness agitation. I Btrongly urge every man nnd woman wo-man who desires that this country shall remain nt peaco to wrlto n protest against tho extravagant pro gram now In Congress, to wrlto to his Congressman to tho two United States Senators from his state and to tho President of the United Stntes. A sentenco or two will do. But mnko your meaning plnln. ltcmembcr, too, that tho men now In Congress who havo como out very strong ngnlnst tho project need on-touragement on-touragement from homo. They faro generally a solid wall of rldlculo or r.tlcnce In tho press of tho cities nnd humnn nature llnds it hard to bpnr up beforo such a constnnt hammering hammer-ing oven though tho object of tho nttnek feels thnt the pressure rings not of sincerity. It you feel that tho country's snfety is being Jeopardized Jeopardiz-ed by political manipulation, then mako your protest n political ono co that It will strike the deopcr. I am having this statement printed print-ed In the advertising columns of tho newspapers nnd magazines throughout through-out tho United States. Others wiU follow. 1 havo no other purposo thon to save America from bloodshed nnd Its young men from conscription. I feel that If this militaristic burden Is assumed by tho country, tho United Unit-ed Stntc.i within ten years will bo In n turmoil, Its Industries pnralyzod, nnd Its men, Instead of being at work lu peaceful industry, will bo dying In tho trenches. And I feel, too, thnt theso men will not bo dying to do-fend do-fend their country, ns wo are now being told, but will perish lu the conquest of other men who hnvo o right to llvo in happiness and In peaco. |