Navy League of Pittsburgh Quotes
Shall This Continue? Join the Navy.
This referred to ships being torpedoed by the German U-Boats in the poster.
Navy League of Pittsburgh, Naval Enlistment Poster, 1914
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
What is particularly interesting about this quotation is that it shows the role that vengeance played in the support of the war effort. Revenge is a “baser” motive than making the world safe for democracy or preserving freedom or stopping dictators. Yet the political and military leadership did not shy away from revenge as a war aim. Contrast this with later wars. Arguably the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor created a different dimension than existed in the Korean or Vietnam wars. Yet in the War on Terror, the attack of 9-11, created a situation like Pearl Harbor did. Yet President Bush and other political and military leaders had a definite policy of never acknowledging that revenge was a factor, despite the fact that many Americans openly saw this as a major war aim.
The founder was Charles E. Coughlin, 1891-1979, a demagogic Catholic Priest who drafted the principles and invited others to join him. Hundreds of thousands did in this organization which began in idealism, and ended in scandal and hate mongering, so much so that Father Coughlin was ordered off the radio and out of politics by the Catholic Church. The National Union in 1936 had morphed into the Union Party which ran Presidential candidates in the 1936 election. In this principle there were two purposes: First to have the wealthy sacrifice something in time of war. Historically wealth could keep a man from the draft if he so wanted. Second, when the company went to war the argument went it was the rich who could profit who had more political influence and could make the war. This way, they would pay a high price and might oppose war. Many of Coughlin’s followers were pro-German and wanted to keep the country out of the European war.
This quotation is of critical importance as it shows that the Germans were actually planning the First World War. See {642092} for another quotation on the subject.
Just 7 months earlier the King had made a direct appeal to the people for enlistment in the military—See {587166}. The response was very good, but the First World War developed in such a way that huge manpower resources were needed and the King had to reluctantly assent to a military draft.
While a pacifist in inclination, Sinclair believed in fighting just and necessary war. Note how civil he was with an organization with whom he did not agree.
FDR, Eleanor and lost liberals of the time were advocates of a strong military, and unlike after the 2nd Word War, most of the Republicans were conservative isolationists who were opposed to spending much public money for the armed services or weapons.
Moltke’s plan for the Marne Campaign did not work out as planned and he and the Kaiser had a difference of opinion so Moltke was replaced as military commander. This quotation is of critical importance as it shows that the Germans were actually planning the First World War and simply used the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand as an excuse. Thus, the reparations Germany was required to pay when they lost the war. See {642096} for more quotational evidence.
