Page:"The next war"; an appeal to common sense (IA thenextwarappeal01irwi).pdf/165

. Germany wanted to extend a “line of influence” through the Balkans in order to build an all-German Berlin-to-Bagdad railway. The Entente nations wanted to prevent all this. Had no such situation lain behind the assassination at Sarajevo, the matter would have been settled with an apology, punishment of the criminals and perhaps indemnity.

Let us imagine another case. Mr. Colby, then our Secretary of State, visited South America in 1920. Suppose that in Rio de Janeiro some fanatic or band of fanatics had murdered him. Would that have led to war between the United States and Brazil? Almost certainly no. But suppose that Brazil and the United States had long been engaged in an economic and political struggle to control by their capital the resources of Ecuador, Colombia and Central America. Suppose them both prepared to the last belt-buckle. Would it then have led to war? Almost certainly yes. And most Americans would say—as did the Austrians in 1914—that we were drawing the sword to avenge national honor and wipe out an intolerable insult.

Building up armies, navies, and munitions industries solely through the fear of national insult, solely to protect honor, seems a little like carrying a loaded pistol night and day lest perhaps someone insult you intolerably, beyond recourse of law.

Yet the fact remains: few Americans of spirit will want, in this era of the world, to strip us of all our defences. That goes beyond the reasonable pacifism