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editorial and City Cife Section of Rearst’s Sunday American, Atlanta,
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L are invited to attend a confer
ence to be held in Independence
Hall, Philadelphia, “for the
purpose of considering the adop-
t ion of proposals for a LEAGUE
OF PEACE and deciding upon
sups ic bt ~un with a view to obtaining the
support of public opinion and of governments.”
The Hon. William Howard Taft will preside at
this conference. We are requested, if unable to
attend, to send “a letter containing suggestions.”
We are unable to attend, and here is the letter of
suggestions.
Let those who want the United States to re
main at peace GIVE THE UNITED STATES
POWER TO BE USED AS PROTECTION
AGAINST WAR.
The rat does not attack the lion. But the lion’s
state of peace as regards rats is not due to its
size, but to the fact that it has teeth, claws and
quickness.
The rat DOES attack and frighten the huge ele
phant. bigger than the lion. For the elephant is
big, slow, UNDEFENDED, and the rat can gnaw
hi? feet while he is asleep.
The United States while it remains undefended
will be at the mercy of any swarm of rats from
Asia, or any fighting power from Europe.
# # *
We want peace, of course. Everybody does.
The price of peace is a great navy TO MAKE
THE OCEANS ON BOTH SIDES OF US SAFE,
COAST DEFENCES. SUBMARINES. TORPEDO
BOAT DESTROYERS AND FIGHTING AIR
SHIPS EXCEEDING IN NUMBER AND QUAL
ITY THOSE OF ANY OTHER NATION—PLUS
4 HUGE GOVERNMENT-OWNED COMMER
CIAL NAVY, MAKING US INDEPENDENT OF
THE SHIPS OF THE WORLD.
If the gentlemen who gather in Independence
Hall, at Philadelphia, act wisely, they will begin
their proceedings with a preamble to the effect
that there is NO PEACE FOR THE UNPRO
TECTED AND UNPREPARED among savages.
And the peoples of the world in the hideous war
now raging prove that men still are savages, re
morseless, with only horror and brutality as the
deciding factors.
If peace gentlemen were planning to live among
the savages of the Congo they wouldn’t discuss
high flown platitudes. They would say:
“We must have guns, plenty of powder, good,
• v °.rp knives, quinine to fight malaria. We do not
want to hurt a single dancing savage in that en
tire region. But we also do not want THEM to
hurt US. And we can keep them from attacking
us, or thinking of attacking us, ONLY BY MAK
ING THEM REALIZE THAT ATTACK WOULD
BE FOOLISH AND FATAL TO THEM.
So it is with this country. We can be sure of
peace only .when we are absolutely prepared for
war—at least while human nature remains as it is,
and such revelations of man’s brutality as are
seen in this European war continue to come to the
surface.
Men who gathered in the same Philadelphia
hall to sign the Declaration of Independence rep
resented NOT UNARMED, DEFENCELESS
HUMAN BEINGS, BUT A NATION OF FARM-
Copyright 101T» by the Star Company. Groat Britain Right* Reserved.
This picture, of huge, starred and striped America shivering at the sight of Asiatic rats may
come true.
Very big is the elephant and the rats are small.
' But MERE SIZE does not help him. or soothe his f ears when the rats appear.
The elephant lacks the fighting machinery that would keep rats away.
Observe, please, the small terrier in the lower left hand corner. Ratsdonot worry him, although
he is small, for he is prepared for such fighting. This huge country of ours should cease ta!V mg about its
bigness,realize that size does not mean safety,take warning from China am be prepared against rats.
ERS, EVERY ONE WITH HIS RIFLE, AND
KNOWING HOW TO USE IT.
Our forefathers of 1776 were able to talk about
independence without being ridiculous BECAUSE
THEY HAD GUNS, AND COULD SHOOT.
They had ships, knew how to build them; how
to operate them, how to sink the ships of enemies.
This nation of to-day will be able to talk about
peace without seeming ridiculous when it can
truly say that it is armed AGAINST war.
* * *
We call our readers ’ attention to a book, ' ‘ De
fenseless America,” by Hudson Maxim, a book
published by the Hearst International Library
Company, No. 119 West Fortieth street, New York
City. <
America is exactly what Hudson Maxim, a great
expert, says it is—DEFENSELESS.
Look at this picture taken from Hudson
Maxim’s book:
How New York Could Be Taken.
In this picture Hudson Maxim shows that mod
ern ships of enemy, equipped with the modern
high powered guns, to say nothing of the indefi
nitely greater guns that are now being con
structed, could stand comfortably away from New
York's coast defenses and destroy the city.
It is said that our Government is PREPARING
TO REMOUNT ITS COAST DEFENSE GUNS SO
AS TO GIVE THEM AN INFINITELY
GREATER RANGE.
But PREPARING to do this thing is not much
comfort.
Fixed forts, as the war in Europe has proved,
are almost valueless.
The great forts between France and Germany
were supposed to make invasion impossible. But
it was necessary to send out men on foot and on
horseback and dig trenches TO DEFEND THOSE
“IMPREGNABLE” FORTS. •
Our forts along the shore STAY IN ONE
PLACE. Great ships with powerful guns, moving
back and forth, once getting the range, can put
hundreds of thousands of shells into one fort, and
make of it nothing but a forgotten thing, a hole
in the ground.
The only way to meet these FLOATING FORTS
that may come to attack us on the Atlantic, and
especially on the Pacific, IS TO HAVE PLENTY
OF BIG AND MORE POWERFUL FLOATING
FORTS TO SEND OUT TO MEET THEM.
* * ■*
We want our coast defense, of course, but they
are the second and the inferior defenses.
The big floating fort that can be moved about at
will and meet the battleships as they come—that
we must have.
We must have also the small, fast ships, tor
pedo boats, and torpedo boat destroyers, to send
ahead of our gigantic floating forts of steel.
And, above all, we want absolute coast protec
tion in the shape of submarine boats, of longest
range, highest speed and power—a half a dozen
of them for every battleship—THAT ANY
ENEMY NATION COULD SEND. And we want
the flying machines—not toys, but powerful ma
chines of steel and aluminui'a, regular fighting
boats of the air—such as the European nations are
building in thousands.
Let Hie peace gentlemen at Philadelphia work
for the right kind of coast fortifications, the
world’s greatest navy of floating steel battleship
forts, a great equipment of submarines and fight
ing flying machines. Remember that Germany is
manufacturing one submarine EVERY WEEK,
and Japan easily could do knd may now be do-
wfif'what Germany is doing
Give the United States the equipment that it
needs, the great commercial navy owned by the
Government, that would b<, a training school for
fighting sailors and officers—then kind-hearted
gentlemen can meet in Independence Hall or else
where, talk peace to their heart’s content, AND
KNOW THAT PEACE WILL REMAIN A
REALITY.
1k <4 *
Let Americans not delude themselves with the
foolish saying “This country is so great that no
body could conquer it all.”
NOBODY WANTS TO CONQUER IT ALL.
What an enemy would want you can see in this
second little picture, taken from Hudson Maxim’s
admirable book.
inis is pari oi a nine circle, oi one noiared
and seventy milds radius, around Peekskill, near
New York City. For the purposes of an attackin',
enemy, it is, as Hudson Maxim says: “The heart
of America.”
Consider these facts:
"Within a circle of 170 miles radius drawn
around Peekskill, New -York, are embraced
New York City, Boston, Philadelphia and many
other important cities; also most of the manu
factories of armaments and war materials, to
gether with the principal coal fields of Penn
sylvania. With our present means of defense a
strong invading army could easily make itself
master of tills territory in a few days.”
You read what the intelligent German diplomat
said to a gathering of his compatriots at Shanghai
in China. In speaking of careful German organ
izing, he pointed out the fact that Germany is now
in possession of Belgium, exploiting her resourves
for the benefit of the Germans; Germany is in
possession of ten of the richest provinces of
France, exploiting their resources for the benefit
of Germany. Germany is in possession of a great
part of Poland, exploiting that country for the
benefit of Germany.
If an enemy of any kind were in possession ot
this little spot of ground around New York Ci^^
containing New York, Boston, Philadelphia antI
other important cities, and the g sat yTMiones
where war materials are made, and / 'S reat coal
mines, THAT WOULD BE QUITE r*.’TOUGH OF
THE UNITED STATES TO KEF^ P AN ENEMY
HAPPY. . /
Yet that is only one littl"* part of the United
States that must be defer
_ded.
•fORTlAMC;
y
-V. V
Thf
We have the great c- jast of California, we have
the waters of the G*- alf - of the Atlantic and of the
Pacific.
There is onl»' on ® intelli S ent kind of peace talk,
only one thp-‘K that should be discussed by Ameri-
c;m.i who real, -y want P eace at Philadelphia, or
elsewV' re ’ and that is TIIE IMPORTANCE OF
AR]y) .ING THIS NATION AGAINST WAR.
- # * *
P. S.—Do you think that the United States ought
not to wait, like China, until it is compelled to say
to some inferior power, “Help yourself, for I can
not h^fT* MYSELF”? It so, write to the men
wjx> .^present you in the House of Representa-
fves at Washington and in the United States
Senate.
Tell your Congressman and your Senator your
opinion as u citizen about the necessity of a big
navy, submarines, airships and commercial ships,
owned by the United States Government.
You might send him this editorial, with an in
dorsement, if you choose. Better still, write your
own letter. Tell him that you feel you have *
RIGHT to express your opinion, since you are
one of the ninety millions who are going io pay
the small bill for defense now and avoid the big
bill later. _