The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1904-10-27
.THE BIG STICK"
American Warships Cannot be Al
lowed to Rust.

lowed TO NuSI.
The Introduction of "the big stick"
in our national policy found Its origin
in speech made by President Roose-
welt in Chicago, April 2, 1902. At this
time the President felt 1t necessary to
explain to the people why vast sums
were expended annually In the build
ing up Of naval force which sur
passed the navies OF foreign countries
In time Of war. He said:, There is
homely old adage which runs: Speak
softly and carry BIG STICK; you
will go far" This statement, taken
in conjunction with the fact that
American wsrships were rushed all
over the world, soon caused European
an overgrown bully. Later President
Roosevelt, at Haverhill, Mass. said:
1.-The good work of building up the
navy must go on without ceasing. The
modern warship cannot with advan-
tage be allowed to rust in disuse. It
must be used up in active service, even
in time Of peace"
Thinking men do not relish the idea
of warships being sent on missions
that might result in their not rusting
in disuse. Among them is Joseph Pull
itzer, who says to President Roosevelt:
WAS 1t to use them up In active SER
vice and preserve them from rusting
that you kept the Machias, the Iowa,
the Concord and the Philadelphia busy
at Panama and Colon for the first six
months of your term, and that you had
the Iowa land marines at Panama two
months after you took Office? Was it
Tor the same purpose that you sent the
Philadelphia to Guayaquil, Ecuador, in
March. 1902, when your keen scent de-
tected a 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
Their to the Isthmus 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 arms?
WAS it to keep the navy from rust
ing that you ordered the Machias and
Cincinnati to land marines in Hayti
in 1902, that you sent the Marietta to
overawe Venezuela about the same
time that you despatched the Boston,
followed by the entire Pacific squad
ron, to the West Coast of Honduras,
and the entire Caribbean squadron TO
the East Coast on the outbreak of the
regular spring revolution the next
year; that you had the Atlanta, the
San Francisco and the Detroit take
turn in worrying the Dominicans in
the same season; that you simulta-
neously directed the gunboat Callao to
patrol a Chinese river, and that you
sent the Helena to stir up the Russians
at Newchwang and the Vicksburg at
Chemulpo?
Was it to use the ships up in time
of peace and incidentally make more
work for the contractors that you
rushed 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 false; that you sent
the Baltimore and Newport to Santo
Domingo in the fall when the country
was in the enjoyment of it's normal
state of revolution; that you started
a whole feet toward Panama on a
telepathic impression that the Isthmus
might secede from Colombia; that you
sent Admiral Wise to Santo Domingo
last February to oversee another revo-
luton, despatched fleet to Tangier to
get Perdicaris alive or Raisuli dead
ordered the European squadron to
Smyrna to secure school privileges fo1
American missionaries, sent the De-
troit back to Santo Domingo last May
and have just hurried the Denver and
Bancroft to the scene Of the latest
revolutionary eruption in Hayti, and
why you have at this moment eight
warships at Shanghai against seven
from all other nations combined?"