Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-06-01
Secretary of War Dickinson
Gives United States Monument
That Has Been Raised Over
Federal Troops.
DAUGHTER OF TAFT
TO UNVEIL SHAFT
ON BLOODY ANGLE"
President Will Lead Parade That
Will March From Town of
Gettysburg to Cemetery Ridge.
Welcome Given Taft.
By Associated Prsss.)


GETTYSBURG. Pa, May a.-President
Taft, delivering the principal speech at
the unwilling here today of a srtendid
granite monument, erected by congress
to the memory of the men of the regular
army. who fell in the three days fighting
that turned back the rising tide of the
Confederacy, paid high tribute to the
regulars, and declared the necessity Of
maintaining always a standing army of
appreciable size, to serve as the nucleus
for a greater armed force in time of need.
He asserted that the present standing ar
my Is barely commensurate with the In
crease in population of the country from
the early days of the republic, and should
by no means be decreased.
JOINED BY DAUGHTER.
Arriving here this morning shortly be-
fore 10 o'clock from Pittsburg, the presi-
dent was joined by his daughter, Miss
Helen Taft. who pulled the silken cord
releasing the flags draped about the mon
ument. The day was ideal.
At York and Hanover the president APP
peared on the rear platform of his car
and was loudly cheered by the great
crowds assembled at the stations.
At York the president talked for a few
minutes to the throng before eating his
breakfast. At every station between
York and Gettysburg there were holiday
crowds at the S; kSions to shout a greet
ing to the chief executive.
SPEECH OF TAFT.
President Taft said: I'VE are gathered
at this historic spot today to dedicate
monument to the memory of the officers
and the enlisted men Of the regular ar
my, who gave up their lives for their
country in the three days battle. II is
but a tardy recognition of the nations
debt to its brave defenders whose allegi-
ance was purely to the nation, without
local color or strengthening of state or
municipal pride.
THE danger of a standing army, enter
tanned by our ancestors is seen in the con-
stitutionaI restrictions and the COM
plants registered in the declaration of
independence. 1t has always been easy to
awaken prejudice against the possible ag-
gTessions of a regular army and a pro-
fessional soldiery, and corespondingly
difficult to create among the people that
love and pride in the army which we find
today and frequently in the history of the
country raoused on behalf of the navy.
This has led to a varied and change
able policy in respect to the regular ar
my. At times It has been reduced TO al
most nothing. In 1884 there was but
army Of the United States and of these
battery F, Of the Fourth artillery, were
So of them; but generally the absolute
necessities in the defense of the country
against the small wars, which embrace
so large a part OF our history, have in
duced the maintenance of a regular force,
small TO be sure, but one so well trained
and effective as always to reflect credit
on the nation.
WOULD HAVE PREVENTED WAR.
I'm the war of 1872. had we had a reg
ular army of 1000 men. trained as such
an army would have been. we should have
been spared the humiliation of the numer-
Gus levies OF unframed troops and the
numerous expense of raising an army on
paper Of 10000 or 10000 men, because
with an effective force of 10000 men we
might have promptly captured Canada
and ended the war.
THE service rendered by the regular
army in the Mexican war was far great
ed in proportion than that which It rem
dered in the civil war, and the success
which attended the campaigns of Taylor
and of Scott were largely due to that body
OF men.
To the little army OF 5000 men that
survived the civil war, we owe the open
ing up OF the entire western country. The
hardships and the trials OF frontier In
dian campaigns, Whlcn mace posslole the
construction of the Pacific railroads.
have never been fully recognized by our
people. And the bravery and courage and
economy Of force compared with the task
performed Is shown by our reglar troops
have never been adequately commemorate
ed by congress OF the nation.
BIG ARMY DEMANDED.
To-day. as a result Of the Spanish war.
the added responsibilities of our new de-
tendencies in the Philippines. Porto Rico,
and for some time in Cuba, together with
a sense of the importance of our posi-
ton as a world-power, have led TO the
increase in our regular army to a larger
force than ever before in the history of
the country, but not larger in proportion
to the increased population and wealth
Continued on Page Three