The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-09-17
MAKES FUN OF BOSTON
Speaker Cannon Refers to Her Fright
During the Spanish War.

Terre Haute, Ind, Sept. 17.-"And
so this president of ours is a Caesar,
a dangerous man who wants to kill
you, both where you are and where
you amt" exclaimed Speaker JOS q.
Cannon in this discussion of the record
of Roosevelt in connection with mill
tarism, the coast defenses and the in
crease of the navy. The speaker ad-
dressed a large audience at the Coll
scum
Militarism he pronounced veritable
bogy man. The president had, he de-
of a Caesar than reduce the army from
1000 to $4,000, and in view of the
fact this number gives only about one
soldier to each 1,400 persons in the
country, he did not regard the OUT
look as dangerous in that direction
Referring to the coast defenses, he
said that the Spanish war demonstrat-
ed their necessity, and spoke of the
fear felt at one time during the war
that Boston might be attacked.
Boston" he said, and changing the
pronunciation, "Great is Bosting. She
is great on account of former genera
lions, and fairly yet. But that is where
the mugwumps live. You know they
were so afraid that poor old Spain
would send a war ship into the harbor
and levy on Boston that the banks
and the trust companies and all the
timid people of that good city were IN
great distress. Well, Spain could have
done so if she had had one good ship,
so helpless was our northeast coast.
In the face of this fact who can hon
eStly denounce the policy that would
prepare our shores against such a dam
ger in the future? %
In his consideration of the navy the
speaker referred to the Russo-Jap-
anese war saying that Japan was ap-
parently getting the best of it on ac-
count of her navy and because her ships
were manned by sailors who could
handle a gun. Japan's navy, he went
on, is very expensive, but it is an OBJ
ject lesson to the world.
Continuing he said: DO you know
that a good navy for the United States
is the most economical thing that we
can have? 1t is equivalent to a bond
of faith for peace, because if we have
a navy we can protect our coast line
and strengthen our diplomacy.
1.-The United States has grown to 80
million and has become the strongest
and greatest government on earth.
Under the leadership of Roosevelt and
John Hay it is the most potent power
in the counsels of the government of
the civilized world, and that China is
not dismembered and partitioned and
that she has the open door is due to
the diplomacy of William Mckinley
and of Theodore Roosevelt with the
aid of John Hay.
And the fact that we have so mil
lion of people; the fact that ours is
the richest country on earth; the fact
that we make one third of the pro-
duce of the earth, and the fact that
we have this navy and that it is grow
ing, strengthens our diplomacy. I
would like Mr.. Parker to rise in his
place and say whether, if he were pres
ident, he would favor a policy that
would dismantle the navy and discon-
tinue it's further construction"
Mr.. Cannon also spoke of the tariff.
referring to the southern states, and
said those states, while they represent
only about one-sixth of the wealth of
the country, wanted to control its ifs
cal and economical policies. He also
referred to the discrepancy in the
southern vote as compared with that
of the north, and said that the five
states of Arkansas. South Carolina,
Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi
with forty members in the house, cast
only 166. 600 votes. while four congress
sional districts of Indiana cast 191, 900
votes.