Omaha daily bee., 1910-12-19
TAFT ENDS LATE WAR SCARE
Asserts There is Not the Slightest
Reason for Such a Sensation.
CANAL SHOULD BE FORTIFIED
-Four Hundred million Dollar Property
Must ne Protected from Attack
naturalization Imprac-
ticabIc.

few days" He said there Is not the slight
est reason for such a sensation because
We are at peace with all the nations OF
the world, and are quite likely to re-
hiaIn So"
lie said his purpose in outlining the pre-
paredness Of the United states for war "at
o peace meeting was 80 show BY CON
trast the great worthiness % the movement
. .tcy a permanent court Of arbitral justice
IND universal peace. The president sum-
narized the condition. Of the national de-
lenses and urged that policy Of wise
military preparation be pursued He en-
phasized the fact that the American peo-
ple never would consent TO the mainte-
nance Of a standing army sufficient TO
cope with that OF the greatest powers
Urges some improvements.
Hs urged the retention Of the present
regular army, the Improvement Of the ma
sional militia, the passage OF the pending
volunteer bill 20 go into operation should
war be declared and the passage Of law
now before congress, providing for force
OF additional officers who will be "able
in times of peace to render efficient ser
vice in drilling the militia of the states"
and finally the accumulation OF guns and
ammunition ito equip and arm the force
we could collect Under the colOrs in an
emergency"
President Taft asserted that the best
method of ultimately securing disarmament
among nations was the Establishment Of
an information court, and the development
Of a code Of internRtional equity,
Declaring that the country has not
reached point Where war Is impossible,
he cited the Panama canal questions. He
said ,..
Take thus the question of the Panama
canal We have a property which when
completed will be worth t4O0.OOO,o00. At
least It win have cost us that 1t has
been built not alone to further the cause
OF the WORLDS commerce, but also to
bring our eastern and western seaboards
cSpser together and to secure us the mill
larry benefit enabling our naval fleet to
4 pass quickly from one ocean TO the other.
Now the works OF ths1 canal are of such
character that A wSrshp might easily
put the canal out OF commission. ~
canal shouId Re. Fortified.
= we are authorized to police the canal
? and protect 1t and awe have the treaty
right TO erect Notifications there. Forti-
f,cadons are the best and most secure
method Of protecting that canal against
the attack Of some irresponsible nation or
armed force s<v ~
sTfsda said that ENeauguld neutraitaHp the
canal and by inducing all nations TO agree
not to attack the canal secure its Inn
munity from injury. But the trouble with
that Is that nations are quite as likely as
men to violate their obligations under
great stress like that of war.
1T seems 20 me thet we ought TO pu'
IA oufselves in a position with reference 70
~, a. veryi valuable and delicate piece OF
IA
IL obligation we VIII be in position tc
prsyent unlawful injury to this instrument
Of commerce so valuable TO the world anC
so Indispensable to us.
",rhe fact that we fortity the canal vii
MT -preventaus from discharging all inter
rational obligations that we may have II
raspeot to it. but it wAl enable us to de
Ifend ourselves IN dts possession against th'
sc, Of every irresponsible force or nauon
II viii not prevent our maintaining ~
neutrality II that is wise and right
excellent Coast. Defenses.
Nh. rr.s,dent said the United States ha'
axcellant coast defenses for every import
-. harhor that an enemy would enter
He summarized the preparedness OF In
country for war by saying
1--WE probably ought to see to II that W
have ammunition and guns enough 10
raaav use in casese Of emergency. -"
nave a small but very efficient army o
$1,000 men We have militia OF apou
1a6yOOO men. The army y, so constituted tina
Ne could enlarge II from skeleton OF
SANITATION into a much larger body
ou9h, 10 have more trained officers, so
a Furnish teachers for a. larger BODY 0
man that war might require us to enlist
..Thars has been a, good. deal Of talk i
the papers. and some reference in congress
a the supposed helpless condition. OF TN
eountrv In the event OF a foreign invaslor
venture TO think that much more ha
been made OF this than the facts calml
considered. would justly.
I'VE have a very good navy and wit
the opening OF the Panama canal II WI
be a much more effective one It woul
be useful to prevent the corning of an in
vading army across the seas.
As-tsThe people OF this country will neYe
consent 20 the mainteusnoe OF stand
in0 army which military experts will pro
nounce sufficiently large 20 cope in battl
with the standing armies Of the create
powers. should they get by our navy, avoi
our harbor dsfenses, and descend upon on
coast II this leaves us in position q
helplessness, then 50 be It, For thos
who understand the popular will in thi
country know that II cannot be otherwise.
In deprecaung the idea OF war scar
the president said that "a little forethough
little more attention 10 the matter o
the part OF congress, and We shall hay
all OF the army. and all OF the munitior
and material OF war that we ought TO HAY
IN a republic, situated as we are, 5000 mile
on the one hand, and 5000 miles on IN
other. free from the source OF hostile in
vaaon.
"our army Is much more expensive pc
man than that OF any other nation and
Is not an unmixed evil that il Is so, b,
cause Il necessarily restricts us 10 N
maintenance Of force which is indispeT
sible In the ordinary policing OF this couT
try and our dependencies. and furnishs
an additional reason for our using ever
sndeavor 20 maintain peace.
Il congratulate this association on n
recent foundation OF Mr.. Carnegie b
which. under the wise guidance Of NJ
guhu Root. Mr.. Knox and their assis
tnts. an income Of S50000O annually is 20 /
Expended IN the practical promotion