West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1904-10-13
"THE BIG sTICK,'
American Marships Cannot be Al.
lowed 60 Rust.

Tho introduction OF "the big stickA
IN our national policy round its oriEfr
In spessh made by President RsoBo.
velt In Chicago. April q 1902. AZ this
time the Prssidsnt felt II necessary 70
explain to tho people why vast sums
were expended annually IN tho build
Ing up of n naval force which sur
passed tho nsvios OF foreign countries
In time OF war. He saidi "Thoro is a
homely old adago which runs, 'speaA
softly and carry a BIO STICK; you
will go FAR" This statement. taken
In conjunction with tho fact that
American warships were rushed all
over tho world, soon caused European
nstiens TO regard tho great republic as
an ovoIgrown bully. Later President
Roosevelt at Haverhil. Mas, said.
The good work OF building up tho
navy must go on without coasing. Tho
modern warship cannot with advan-
taBo be allowed 20 rust I'm dlsuso. Il
must bo used up I'm active service. even
In timo OF peace"
Thinking men DO not relish tho idea
or warships being sent on missions
that might result I'm their not rustlng
In disuse. Among them Is Joseph Pull
itzer, who says 60 President Roosevelt.
WAS II 20 use them up I'm active SER
vice and preserve them from rusting
that you kept tho Mnchias. the Iowa,
the Concord and tho Philadelphia busy
ut Panama and Colon for tho first six
months OF your term. and that you had
the Iowa land marines at Panama two
months after you took once? Was It
Tor tho same purpose that you sont the
Philadelphia to Guayaquil, Ecuador, In
March, 1902. when your keen scent de-
tected n threatened revolution, and
that soon afterward you despatched
the battleship Wisconsin and the gum
boat Ranger TO Panama and the cruiser
Cincinnati TO Colon. ordered the PAN
ther to the lsthmus with battalion OF
marines, landed 1000 men and took
possession OF the Panama Railroad, re-
fusing TO allow the Colombian troops
to ride without giving up their arms2
WAS II TO keep tho navy from rust
ing that you ordered tho Machias and
Cincinnati to land marines In Haytl
In 1902. that you sent the Marietta to
oyerawe Venezuela about the samo
time that you despatched tho Boston.
followed by tho entire Pacific squad
ron, TO tho West Coast OF Honduras,
and the entire Caribbean squadron to
tho East Coast on the outbreak of tho
regular spring revolution the next
year; that you had tho Atlanta, tho
San Francisco and the Detroit take
turn in worrying the Domlnicans I'm
the same season; that you slmulta-
neously directed the gunboat Callao to
patrol a Chinese river, and that you
sent the Helena TO stir up the Russians
at Newchwnng and the Vicksburg at
Chemulpo?
"Was It to use the ships up in time
OF peace and Incidentally make moro
work for the contractors that you
rushed a squadron TO Beirut when you
heard that the American Consul had
been killed, and did not recall the or.
ders when you learned the next day
that the story was falseI that you seat
the Baltimore and Newport to sants
Domingo in the fall when the country
was in tho enjoyment OF tie normal
state OF revolution; that you started
a whole feet toward Panama on O
telepathlc impression that the Tsthmua
might seoede from Colombia; that you
sent Admiral Wise to Santo Domingo
last February TO oversee another revo.
luton, despatched feet TO Tangier to
get Psrdichris alive or Raisuli dead,
ordered the European squadron 20
Smyrna TO secure school privileges for
American missionaries, sent the De-
trolt back 10 Santo Domingo last May,
and have Just hurried tho Denver and
Bancroft 10 tho scene of tho latest
revolutionary eruption IN Hayu, aud
why you have at this moment eight
wsrshIps st Shanghai against seven
from all ether nations combinedT"