If there is no sufficient reason for war, the war party will

Hear the stern warning of Robert M. La Follette, who once proclaimed: “If there is no sufficient reason for war, the war party will make war on one pretext, then invent another... after the war is on.” These words are not born of cynicism, but of hard-won wisdom. They remind us that the hunger for war often precedes its justification, that the drumbeat of conflict is too often composed not of truth, but of lies wrapped in the garb of patriotism.

The origin of this saying lies in La Follette’s fierce opposition to America’s entry into the First World War. As a senator, he resisted the tide of war fever that swept across the land in 1917. While others spoke of honor and duty, he saw the shadow of corporate greed and political ambition pushing the nation into conflict. He knew that when a people are not convinced, those who desire war will manufacture pretexts—small sparks fanned into flames until resistance is drowned in cries of loyalty and fear. His words cut through the illusions of noble cause to expose the machinery of manipulation.

The meaning of his warning is clear: that when war is not born of necessity, it is born of deceit. Once the cannons fire, the reasons no longer matter, for new justifications will be created to keep the war alive. A people who enter war on false grounds will be told, again and again, why they must continue, lest the sacrifices already made appear in vain. Thus La Follette reminds us that vigilance must come before the war begins, for once it is unleashed, truth itself is the first casualty.

Consider the example of the Gulf of Tonkin incident during the Vietnam War. The American people were told that U.S. ships had been attacked without provocation, and this claim became the justification for massive escalation. Yet later it was revealed that the reports were false or gravely exaggerated. By then, tens of thousands of lives had already been thrown into the fire. Here La Follette’s words find their echo: when one pretext fails, another is invented, and the war continues, fueled not by reason but by determination to justify what has already begun.

History offers many such tales. From the false cry of “remember the Maine!” before the Spanish-American War, to the specter of weapons of mass destruction before the Iraq War, nations have again and again been led to battle on pretexts later revealed as hollow. Each time, the people awaken too late, bound already to the sacrifices of their sons and daughters, unable to retreat from the path chosen for them. La Follette’s voice is a cry across the centuries: beware the war party, for it will invent reasons until none can resist its march.

The lesson is eternal: question the reasons for war before the first shot is fired. Do not be blinded by slogans, nor swept away by passion, nor silenced by fear of being called unpatriotic. True courage lies not only in fighting when necessary, but in refusing to fight when the cause is false. A citizen who asks hard questions is not a traitor but a guardian of the nation’s soul.

What, then, must we do? We must remain vigilant, educating ourselves and others in the truth of history. We must remember the cost of wars fought under false pretenses, and resist the easy stories leaders may tell to inflame our emotions. We must honor not only the bravery of those who serve, but also the bravery of those who speak against deception. In our own time, to stand for truth before war begins is to save countless lives from being lost in battles born of lies.

Therefore, let La Follette’s words be passed down as a sacred teaching. Let every generation remember that pretexts are the weapons of the ambitious, and that wars without sufficient reason bring only sorrow and regret. If there is no just cause, let there be no war. And if war must come, let it be fought for truth alone, not for the inventions of those who would sacrifice the many for the ambitions of the few.