New-York tribune., 1910-12-18
Outlines Measure. for Defence.

Outlines Measure. for Defence.
He urged the retention Of the present.
regular army. the Improvement Of the
militia, the passage OF the pending bin
providing for a volunteer army. to sS
into operation should war be declared.
and the passage Of bill now hefors
Congress providing for a force OF addi-
tionaI officers who will be able in tinas
of peace to render efficient service in
drilling the militia Of the states" and
finally the accumulation OF guns AMI
ammunition Ito equip and arm the force
We could collect under our colors in ar
emergency"
President Taft asserted that the best
method of ultimately securing disarn1a-
ment among nations was the esta blish-
ment of an International court and the
development Of a code Of International
equity.
Must Defend Panama Canal.
Declaring that the country has NOT
reached point where warts iunpossi-
BILE, he cited the Panama Canal ques~
ton He said:
Take thus the question Of the Panama
Canal We have a property which when
completed will be worth S4INUtloOu--
at least, it will have cost Us that. IL
has been built not alone to further the
cause of the worlds commerce, but also
to bring our Eastern and Western sea
boards closer together and secure US the
military benefit. ena bling our naval feer
to pass quickly from one ocean TO ths
other.
tho orb Of Is n
such a character that a. war vessel mizhe
ca silly put the canal out of commits
SION
We arc authorized to police the canal
and protect IT, and we have the treaty
right to erect fortifications there. For~
tifcations are the best and most secure
method of protecting that canal aSainSe
the attack of some irresponsible nauort
or armed force
1t is said that We could neutra1ize the
canal and. by inducing all nations n
agree not to attack the canal. secure its
immunity from injury But the troubia
Is that nations are quite as likely -
men to violate their obligations under
great stress like that of war
1t seems to me that we ought TO 2ue
ourselves in a position with reference
to this very valuable. and delicate piec~
of property so that. should any naroiA
forget its obligation, we viii be IN q.
positiou to prevent unlawful injury tOi
this instrument of commerce so valuaSi1
to the world and so indispensable 10 U.s.
The fact that We fortify the canal WIZ
not prevent us from dischargfng all in
ternationaI obligations that we may havs
In respect TO it. but it will enable US -
defend ourselves in it's possessions
against the act OF every irrespons1bis
force or nation It will not prevent our
maintaining its neutrality If that is wis1
and right
Coast Defenees Excellent.
The President declared that the United,
States has excellent coast defences for'
every inportant harbor that an enemy
would enter He summarized the pre-
paredness of this country Tor war By
saying:
We probably ought to see to it thao
we have ammunition and guns enough
for ready use in cases of emergency We
have a small but very efficient army OF
SD 600 men, We have a militia OF about.
125 OOO men The army is constituted
that we could enlarge IL from a skeleton
organization into much larger oody-
We ought to have more trained officers.
So as TO furnish the teachers TO larger
body of men that war might require Us
to enlist
There has been a good deal of talk in
the, papers and some reference IN Con-
gress to the supposed helpless condition
OF this country in the event or a IoreiSn
invasion. / venture to think that much
more has been made OF this than the
facts, calmly considered, would justify
We have a very good navy. and With
the opening OF the Panama Canal IL viii
be much more effective one IL wouid
be useful to prevent the coming or an
invading army across the seas
The people of this country VIII never
consent to the maintenance of stand
ing army which military experts VIII
pronounce sufficiently large TO cope IN
battle with the standing armies or the
greater powers should they get by our
navy avoid our harbor defenceS and de-
scend upon our coast If this leaves us
in a position OF helplessness. then so be
il For those who understand the popu-
lar will in this country know that is
cannot be otherwise.