Los Angeles herald., 1909-03-05
TAFT'S SPEECH GIVES
POLICY OF PRESIDENT
Declares He Shall Follow Out Lines
Marked by His Predecessor and
Shows Plans for Admin
istraton


rect benefit that this cannot be ex-
pected of them. A permanent i'm
provement. like the Panama canal,
should be treated as a distinct en-
terprise. and should be paid for by
the proceeds of bonds, the issue or
which Will distribute its cost be-
tween the present and future gen.
erations In accordance with the
benefits derived. IL may well be
submitted to the serious considera-
ton of congress whether the deep
ening and control of the channel of
a great river system. like that of
the Ohio or of the Mississippi, when
definite and practical plans for the
enterprise have been approved and
determined upon. should not be
provided for in the same way.
Necessary Expenditures
Thea, too, there are expenditures
of government absolutely necessary
If our country Is to maintain it's
proper place among the nations Of
the world, and is to exercise its
proper influence in defense OF its
own trade interests, in the main
tenance of traditional American
policy against the colonization of
European monarchies in this hemi-
sphere, and in the promotion of
peace and international morality.
/ refer TO the cost of maintaining a
proper army, proper navy and
suitable fortifications upon the
mainland of the United States and
in its dependencies.
We should have an army so Or
ganized and so Differed as to be
capable in time of emergency, in
cooperation with the national mill
tia, and under the provisions Of a
proper national volunteer law,
rapidly to expand into a force suf-
ficient to resist all probable in
vasion from abroad and to furnish
a respectable expeditionary force,
if necessary, In the maintenance of
our traditional American policy
which bears the name Of President
Monroe.
Our fortifications are vet In a
state OF only partial completeness.
and the number of men to man
them is insufficient. In few
years, however, the usual annual
appropriations for cur coast de-
lenses both on the mainland and
I'm the dependencies. Will make
them sufficient to resist all direct
attack, and by that time we may
hope that the men to man them
will be provided as a necessary adj
junct. The distance of our shores
from Europe and Asia of course
reduces the necessity for maintain
ing under arms a great army, but
It does not take away the require
ment of mere prudence. that we
should have an army sufficiently
large and so constituted as to form
a nucleus out of which a suitable
force can quickly grow.
What has been said of the army
may be affirmed in even a more
emphatic way of the navy. A mod
ern navy cannot be improvised. 1t
must be built and in existence
when the emergency arises which
calls for its use and operation. My
distinguished predecessor has in
many speeches and messages set
out with great force and striking
language the necessity for main
tanning a strong navy commensu-
rate with the coast line, the gov
ernmental resources and the for
eign trade of our nation; and l
wish to reiterate all the reasons
which he has presented In favor of
the policy OF maintaining a strong
navy as the best conservator of our
peace with other nations and the
best means of securing respect for
the assertion of our rights, the de-
Tense of our interests and the ex-
ercise of our influence in interna-
tional matters.
Peace Is Our Policy
Our international policy is always
to promote peace. We shall enter
into war with a full consciousness
of the awful consequences that IL
always entails, whether successful
or not, and we, of course, shall
make every effort, consistent with
national honor and the highest in
terest. to avoid a resort to arms.
We favor every instrumentality,
like that of The Hague tribunal and
arbitration treaties made with a
view to its use in all international
controversies, In order to maintain
peace and to avoid war. But we
should be blind to existing condi-
tions and should allow ourselves to
become foolish idealists If we did
not realize that with all the nations
of the world armed and prepared
for war, we must be ourselves in a
similar condition, in order to pre-
vent other nations from taking adj
vantage of us and of our inability
to defend our interests and assert
our rights with a strong hand. In
the international controversies that
are likely to arise in the Orient,
growing out of the question of the
open door and other issues, the
United States can maintain her in
terests intact and can secure respect
for her Just demands. She will not
~ a. 20 N &c
understood that she never intends
TO back up her assertion of right
and her defense of her interest by
anything but mere verbal protest
and diplomatic note. For these rea-
sons, the expenses Of the army and
navy and of coast defenses should
always be considered as something
which the government must pay
for, and they should not be cut off
through mere consideration of
economy. Our government is able
to afford a suitable army and a
suitable navy. 1t may maintain
them without the slightest danger
to the republic or the cause of free
institutions, and fear of additional
taxation ought not to change
proper policy in this regard.
The policy of the United States in
tne spanish war, ana since, mas
given it a position of influence
among the nations that 1t never had
before, and should be constantly
exerted to securing to it's bona fide
citizen, whether native or natural
lied. respect for them as such in
foreign countries. We should make
every effort to prevent humiliating
and degrading prohibition against
any of our citizens wishing tenn
porarily to sojourn in foreign coun-
tries because of race or religion.
Aslatic immigration
The admission of Asiatic immi-
grants who cannot be amalgamated
with our population has been made
the subject either of prohibitory
clauses in our treaties and statutes,
or of strict administrative regula-
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