Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1907-10-09
roosevelt IN PLEA !.
FOR Greater Navy
IN CAIRO ADDRESS, PRESIDENT
VOICES A VIGOROUS POLICY
IN NATIONS ATTITUDE.
BATTLESHlPS' CRUISE
TO FORM PRECEDENT


TO FORM PRECEDENT
Fleet in Future to Alternate Between
Atlantic and Pacific Ocean Each
Year-Shows Necessity Of Prepar
ing for War in Time Of Peace.
Cairo, ILL.,, Oct Ain his speech
here Thursday President Roosevelt re
iterated his contention that the United
States must maintain firm policy in
the world affairs and denounced the
international milksop." In this con
nection he announced for the first
time that the transfer of the Atlantic
fleet to the Pacific represents merely
the Inauguration of new policy by
which the fleet will alternate between
the two oceans each year.
Referring to the domestic affairs OF
the country, the president declared
strongly that the government alone
has the power and jurisdiction to reg.
ulate the business of interstate cor
porations
The president and the party drove
to St. Marys park, where an immense
crowd was assembled.
Mayor Parsons introduced Gov De.
neen of Illinois, who in turn intro.
duced President Roosevelt.
President Roosevelt said:
Men of Illinois and You, Men of
Kentucky and Missouri am glad to
have the chance to speak to you to-
day. This is the heart of what may
be called the old west, which we now
call the middle west, using the term
to denote that great group OF rich and
powerful states which literally forms
the heart of the country. 1t is a re-
giOn whose people are distinctively
American in all all their thoughts, in
all their ways of looking at life; and
in it's past and it's present alike it is
typical of our country
''This was the region that brought
forth mighty Abraham Lincoln, the in.
caInat;on of all that is best in demo
cratic life; and from the loins of the
same people, living only little farther
south, sprsng another of our greatest
presidents, Andrew Jackson, old
Hickory'-a man who made mistakes
like most strong men, but a man OF
iron will and incorruptible integrity
fearless, upright, devoted to the vel
fare of his countrymen, bone of our
bone and flesh of our flesh, typical
American if ever there was one"
Urges Strong Navy.
The president forcibly urged the
The president forcibly urged the ne
cessity of strong navy, saying: 1--WE
have an enormous coast line, and our
coast line is on two great oceans. To
repel hostile attacks the Notifications
and not. the navy, must be used; but
the best way to parry is to hit-no fight
can ever be won except by hitting
and we can only hit by means of the
navy. 1t is utterly impossible to i'm.
provise even make-shift navy under
the conditions of modern warfare
Since the days of Napoleon no war be-
tween two great powers has lasted as
long as it would take to build a bat
tie ship, let alone a feet of battle
ships; and it takes just as long to
train the crew of a battle ship as it
does 70 build it; and as regards the
most important thing of ALL the train.
ing of the officers, it takes much long.
er. The navy must be built and all it's
training given in time of peace. When
once war has broken out it is too late
to do anything. We now have a good
navy, not yet large enough for our
needs, but of excellent material
Where q navy is as small as ours, the
cardinal rule must be that the battle
ships shall not be separated.
Justifies Dispatching of Fleet.
This year l am happy to say that
We shall begin course which hope
will be steadily followed hereafter
that, namely, of keeping the battle
ship fleet alternately in the Pacific and
In the Atlantic. Early in December
the fleet will begin it's voyage to the
Pacific, and it will number, friends,
among its formidable fighting craft
three great battle ships named, re-
spectiveiy, the Illinois, the Missouri
and the Kentucky. 1t is a national
fleet in every sense of the term, and
its welfare should be, and l firmly be-
Neve is, as much a matter of pride and
concern for every man in the farther
est interior of our country as for every
man IN the seacOast. A long ocean
voyage is mighty good training: and
not the least good it will do will be to
show just The points where our naval
programme needs strengthening. In.
cidentally ! think the voyage will have
one good effect, for, to judge by their
comments on the movement, some ex.
cellent PCT Ele in my own section OF
the country need to be reminded that
the Pacific coast is exactly as much
part of this nation as the Atlantic
coast"
Among the other important state
ments made by the president in his
speech are the following:
IF man is afraid to hold his own.
If he will submit tamely to wrongdo-
ing, he is contemplate. If he is a
bully, an oppressor, man who
wrongs or insults others, he is even
worse and should be hunted out of the
community. Well, all this is Just
as true of nation as of an indiyid.
ual."
''The policy of peace with insult'