Defence is an Essential Function of Government.—Many years ago one of the Fathers of the American Republic, James Madison, stated this point in a single sentence. “Security against foreign danger”, he wrote, “is one of the primitive objects of civil society. It is an avowed object of the American union.” We set great value in this democracy on the right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”, but no people can be secure in their rights to any of these things so long as they permit themselves to remain defenceless against the assaults of their enemies. When one citizen injures another there are courts to render justice. But when one nation treats another unjustly the injured country has no such redress; it must depend upon its own strength to assert its rights. The impulse to self-defence is deeply implanted in human nature. A man’s first care is to defend himself and those dearest to him. So a nation’s first care should be for the safety of those within its borders. A country that is not ready and able to protect its own citizens can scarcely be said to deserve their patriotism. Fear God and take your own part! is a good motto.[[270]] A man who cannot take his own part, when occasion demands, is a weakness in any community, for his impotence is an encouragement to wrongdoers. The same applies to nations. A country that cannot defend itself against external injustice puts a premium on aggression.[[271]] The day may come when, as it is written in the Scriptures, “nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more”; but until that long-looked-for time arrives it is the duty of every land to make sure that its territories shall not be invaded with impunity. Wanton or unjust war is an abhorrent evil, and even a just war of self-defence brings immeasurable suffering. The permanent avoidance of war is assuredly a goal which human effort should strive by some means or other to attain.
Do armaments engender militarism?
National Defence and Militarism.—It is often said that armaments lead to militarism and the encouragement of a warlike spirit among the people, and that the nation which keeps a sharp sword is always under a temptation to unsheathe it. The history of European nations proves that there is a measure of truth in this assertion. Huge armies are not merely an economic burden, a source of enormous expense; but they create suspicion and distrust among a nation’s neighbors. During the fifty years preceding 1914 the various countries of Europe kept each other’s tempers constantly on edge by reason of their being armed to the teeth. The standing armies of Germany, Austria, Russia, France, and Italy prior to the outbreak of the World War totalled nearly two million men. These men had to be fed, clothed, and supported by the labor of those who were not in the military service. How much better it would have been if most of them had spent their time behind the plough!
What another world-war would mean.
The Causes of War.—Intelligent people everywhere are agreed that war is the greatest curse of humanity and that some means of prevention must be found. If the world, within the next generation, should have the misfortune to engage in another titanic conflict like the last, it will not much matter who wins. Victor and vanquished will alike go down in a welter of blood and chaos. There is no difference of opinion among thoughtful men of all nations on this point. So far as the desirability of permanently avoiding war is concerned, there is entire agreement between pacifists and other people. But how is war to be permanently avoided? One way, and probably the only effective way, is to remove the causes of war.
The chief motives in war.
In past years a great many different things have drawn nations into war. Greed for territory has been a prolific cause of armed conflict during many centuries. Governments, like individuals, often violate the tenth commandment and covet the possessions of their neighbors. Rivalry in trade sometimes leads to ill-feeling, suspicion, and in the end to hostilities. The press, or certain sections of it, is sometimes given to fomenting this bad feeling and so are politicians occasionally. The misgovernment of a helpless people has at times led to outside intervention on their behalf, as when the United States in 1898 interposed to terminate Spanish oppression in Cuba. Alliances among nations, particularly secret alliances, have aroused jealousy to a point where some relatively minor mishap sufficed to send armies forth to battle. In the case of the World War the murder of an Austrian archduke at Serajevo was the match which set Europe aflame; but it was not the underlying cause of the conflict. The real causes are to be found in the rivalry, the jealousies, and the militarism which turned Europe into a huge armed camp during the years preceding 1914.
Can these motives be removed?
There is no reason why nations should be natural enemies. Like men they can live together in amity if, like men, they learn to secure respect for their own rights by respecting the rights of others. Up to a certain point rivalry between different countries makes for progress, but when rivalry engenders bitterness it becomes a menace to peace. A large part of the mutual suspicion which exists among governments would be obliterated if secret diplomacy were abolished and the burden of great armaments removed.
The Regular Army of the United States.—Until these causes of war are permanently removed by some agreement among the nations of the world no country can venture to give up reasonable measures for its own defence. For military protection the United States relies first of all upon the regular army. In proportion to the total population of the country this army has never been large in time of peace. The policy of the United States has always been to maintain a standing army of very moderate size and to depend, in emergencies, upon the assistance of units raised from among the able-bodied men of the civilian population.[[272]] |How the regular army is organized.| The size of the regular army is fixed from time to time by Congress; it is always recruited by voluntary enlistment and has never contained any regiments raised by conscription. Enlistments are for a term of years, at the end of which time an honorable discharge is given if the soldier has served faithfully. The regular army is completely and at all times under the control of the War Department; its officers are appointed by the President as commander-in-chief; its discipline is regulated by federal law and its entire cost of maintenance is borne by the national government.