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Show "THE ARMY FOREVER!" The prating pacifist and all enemies enem-ies of the nation's military establishment establish-ment will do well to carefully read the report just issued by Secretary of War Hurley, which gives a broad and intimate view of the normal function of the United States army as well as what it stands for and nveans in seasons of peace. We are not at war we seldom are in danger of becoming involved in "war but we need the army just the same, as the Secretary points out and as every sensible citizen not hired by some propagandist syndicate knows. The United States army has little to do in the way of fighting the traditional business of any army; but the direct and indirect service of the establishment is of supreme moment to the nation which supports it. It is the friend of the Red Cross; it is needed and employed in every instance in-stance of national, physical or social calamity. As the Secretary said, it has built or bought nothing that was not directly di-rectly in the public interest. It is the friend of unemployment relief, the savior in time of distress or danger. It is true evangel of peace in that it has charge of the great program of public work outlined by the government river and harbor and devastating flood control. And it works at its job while good citizens and detractors of the service sleep in security and peace. It employs thousands thou-sands who would be otherwise out of work. Its discipline is an asset to the nation. It stands ready to guard and defend in time of war even those who deride and insult the flag it follows. fol-lows. Like the policeman of the cities, cit-ies, it fills a function making for public pub-lic relief and public security. The individual in-dividual who sneers at American militarism mil-itarism and American " precautions for defense and the proper guardianship guardian-ship of the people is not an American Ameri-can citizen in the true sense of that term. Portland Oregonian. |
