The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-05-31
PRESIDENT TAT 7
PRAISES THE
ARMY
ASSERTS THAT NATION SHOULD
TAKE PRIDE IN REGULARS.
euloeizes Those Who Fell at Gettys.
burg, Winning Perpetual Graft
tude From a Nation.

The following Is President Tatts
address at Gettysburg;
We are gathered at this historic
spot today to dedicate a monument 10
the memory OF the officers and the
enlisted mem Of the regular army,
who gave up their lives for their
country In the three days battle. 1t
is but tardy recognition of tho ma
lions debt to its brave defenders,
whose allegiance was purely to the
nation, without local color or strength
ening of state or municipal pride.
The danger OF n standing army.
entertained by our ancestors, is seen
in the constitutional restrictions and
the complaints registered in the dee.
laration of independence 1t has al.
ways been easy to awaken prejudice
against the possible aggressions of
regular army and a professional sol
dtery, and correspondingly different
TO create among the people that love
and pride in the army which We find
today. and frequently in the history of
the country aroused on behalf OF the
navy. This has led to varied and
changeabe policy in respect to the
regular army. At times it has been
reduced TO almost nothing. In 1884,
there were but eighty men who con-
stituted the regular army OF the Unit
ed States. and of these Battery + of
the Fourth artillery constituted SO of
them; but generally, the absolute ne
cessities In the defense Of the coun-
try against the same wars, which
embrace so large a part of our his
tory, have induced the maintenance of,
a regular force. small to be sure, but
one so well trained and effective as
always TO reflect credit upon the ma
lion
ITO the little army of $4,000 men
that survived the Civil War. we owe
the opening up of the entire western
country. The hardships and the
trials OF frontier Indian campaigns.
which made possible the construction
OF the Pacific railroads. have never
been fully recognized by our people,
and the bravery and courage and econ
omy OF force, compared with task per-
formed by our regular troops. have
never been adequately commemOrated
by the congress or the nation. To-
day, as a result of the Spanish war,
the added responsibility OF our new
dependencies In the Philippines. Por.
to Rico and for some time in Cuba,
together with a sense of the indepen-
dence Of our position as world pow
Ell. have led TO the increase In our
regular army TO a larger force than
ever before, but not larger in proper
tion 10 the inceased population and
wealth than In the early years of the
republic. 1t should not be reduced.
The profession Of arms has always
been an honorable one Under condi-
tions Of modern warfare. it has be-
come a highly technical one and re-
qulres years of experience and study
to adapt the officers and men TO its
requirements. The general purpose
of congress and the American peo-
pie, If one can say there is plan
or purpose, Is to have such a nuc-
leus as q regular army that II may
furnish a skeleton for rapid enlarge
ment In times Of war to force ten
or twenty times its size. and at the
same time. be an appropriate instru-
ment for accomplishing the purpose
OF the government in crises likely TO
arise, other than war.
"At West Point we have been able
to prepare a body Of professional &c.
diers. well-trained TO officer an army.
and numerous enough at the opening
OF the Civil war TO give able COM
manders to both sides Of that intra-
national strife. Time does not pf/.
nit me 10 mention the names of the
heroes OF the regular army whose
blood stained this historic field AMI
whose sacrifices made the union vic
tory posslblero 20 1rr
with my intimate knowledge OF
The regular army. their standard NJ
duty, their efficiency as soldiers, the,r
high character as men. have seized
this opportunity TO come here to teS4
tify 10 the pride which the nation
i should have in its regular army. anil