Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-04-03

N.
The terms which we have secured as
those under winch the Isthmian canal is
70 be built, and the course of events in the
venezue s m is,, nave shown not merely
States in the Western Hemisphere, but az
so, L think may safely say have exem-
plified the 9rm purpose Of the United
power shall rebound not to the harm but
! of the benefit. Of our sister republics
whose strength Is less. Our growth
therefore, is beneficial to human kind in
general. We do not intend to assume any
position which can give just offerse to
our neighbors. Our adherence to the rule
Of human rlght IS not merely profession
| The history OF our dealings with Cuba
shows that we reduce it to performance
The Monroe Doctrine is not interna-
tional, law, and though think one day it
as long as it remains a cardinal feature of
our foreign policy and as long as We
possess both the will and the strength to
make it effective. This last point, my
fellow citizens, is all important, and is
one which as people we can never af-
| ford to forget. believe in the Monroe
Doctrine with all my heart and SOUL /
am convinced that the immense majority
| of our fellow-countrymen so believe in ii
but l would infinitely prefer to see us
abandon it than TO see Us put it forward
| and buster about it. and vet fail to build
up the efficient fighting strength which in
| the last resort can alone make it respected
Iby any strong foreign power whose inter-
est it may ever happen to be to violate II.
Boosting and clustering are as obiee
| tionable among nations as among individ.
uas, and the public men of a great nation
owe it to their sense of national self-re-
lspect to speak courteously of foreign pow
| ers Just as brave and self respecting
Imam treats all around him courteously
But though to boast is bad, and causelesS-
iy to insult aEother' worse yet worse than
out insult, and when called to the proof
10 be unable to make such b5asting good.
fhere is homely old adage. which runs:
Speak softly ana carry a big stick; you
will go far If the American Nation will
speak softly. and yet build. and keep at a
pitch of the highest training, a thoroughly
efficient Navy, the Monroe Doctrine will
go far. / ask you to think over this. If
You do, you will come to the conclusion
that it is mere plain common sense, SO
obviously sound that only the blind can
fail to see it's truth and only the weakest
and most irresolute can fail to desire to
put it into force.
Wen, in the last two years 1 am happy
to say we have taken long, strides in
advance regards our Navy. The last
Congress- in addition to smaller vessels,
provided nine of those formidable fighting
Ships upon which the real efficiency Of any
Navy in war ultimately depends. 1t pro-
vided, moreover, for the necessary addi
lion of officers and enlisted men to make
he ships worth having. Meanwhile the
Navy Department has seen to it that our
ships have been constantly exercised at
sea, with the great guns, and in maneu-
vers, so that their efficiency as fighting
lnits. both individually and when acting
together, has been steadily improved.
Remember that all of this is necessary.
A war ship is a huge bit of MECHANISM,
t is formidable 1t takes years to build
t. 1t takes years to teach the officers and
men how to handle it to good advantage.
It is an absolute impossibity to impro-
wise a navy at the outset of war. No
recent war between any two nations has
.asted as long as it takes to build a bat
tleship, and it is just as impossible to
,mprOyiSe the officers or the crews as TO
improvse the navy.
TO lay up battle ship and only send
it afloat at the outset of a war, with raw
crew and untried officers, would be not
merely folly but crime: for it would
invite both disaster and disgrace. The
Navy which so quickly decided in our
favor the war in 1898 had been built and
made efficient during the preceding hf:
teen years. The ships that triumphed off
Manila and Santiago had been buiit
money appropriated by previous Con,
their duty so we'll because they had
already been trained to it BY long ssa
and gallant mem who actually dld me
lighting, but remember, too, to honor ths
public men, the lshipWrlghts. ana steel
workers the owners of the shipyards ana
armor plants to whose united foresight
and exertion we owe it that in ls9S we
had craft SO good, guns SO excellent, ana
the coming towers, in the gun turrets,
and in the engine rooms. 1T is too late
20 prepare for war when war has come;
and if we only prepare sufhclently nc war
viii ever come. We wish a powerful and
Efficient Navy, not for purposes OF war.
but as the slrest guaranty OF peace. |
We have such = 'Navy.lf we Keep on p thau
Is but the smallest chance tnat troupie
will ever come to this Nation ana we may
likewise rest assured that no foreign pow
or will ever quarrel Win US apoul ing
NCnrCc Doctrine
AT the conclusion of the address
there was renewed applause and while
the greater part of the audience was
leaving the hall the President held an
.impromptu reception on the platform. .
Immediately preceding his address in
the Auditorium, President Roosevelt
was entertained at dinner in the BAN
cuet hall of the Auditorium by the
members of the local entertainment
committee. About $50 guests were
present besides the President and his
party. The dinner was ehtlreiy llilor-
NAL.
The President after leaving the au-
ditorium went at once to his room IN
the hotel, where he partook of a light
lunch. His carriage was called Wlthln
a few minutes after the lunch was nm
ished and at 10.45 o'clock, accompanied
by a number of the local committee, he
was taken to the station of the Chi
cago & Northwestern Road, where his
train was in waiting. He entered the
train at once and retired for the night.
At midnight the train pulled out for
Madison, Wis, where it is scheduled TO
arrive at o'clock. tomorrow morning.