Arizona republican., 1910-12-18
 WAR SCARE Mr. Taft Sees Nothing To
 Cause HystePia WHILE WAR IS POSSIBLE
He Believes Nations Should Be Prepared and This Country Is Prepared Re lations of United States to the Panama Canal.

Washington, Dec. 17.-President
 Taft, addressing the closing banquet
 tonight of the American Society for
 the Judicial Settlement of Interna-
 tional Disputes, allayed the so-caIleG
 war scare which has furnished pab
 ulum for newspapers fer the last few
 days. He said: There is not the slightest reason for such a sensa-
 ton, because We are at peace with
 all the nations of the world and are lquite likely to remain so."
 He said his purpose in outlining the preparedness of the United States Tor war at peace meeting" was shown by contrast with the great worthiness of the movement top q permanent court of arbitration and universal peace
 ! The president summarized the condition of the national defenses and urged that the policy of wise military preparation be pursued. He emphasized the fact that the Amer ican people would never consent to the maintenance of a standing army army sufficient to cope with that of the greater powers. He urged a re- tentlon of the present army, the i'm provement of the militia. the passage Of the pending volunteer bill 10 be operative should war be declared, ana the passage of a law providing for a force of additional officers. who shall be able in time of peace to render efficient service in drilling the militia of the states, and finally the accumulation of guns and ammunition ito equip and arm a force we could collect under colors in an emergency" l
 MT. Taft asserted that the best method of ultimately securing dis 1 armament among nations was the es- tablishment Of an international court | and the development of a code of in- | ternational equity.
 Declaring that this country had not | reached point where war is impos- | sible. he cited the Panama canal | question. He said:
 Take the question of the Panama | canal We have property which. when completed, will be worth S4OO. 900, ,OOO It has been built not alone to further the cause of the worlds commerce. but also to bring our eastern and western seaboards closer together and secure a military benefit. enabling our naval fleet to pass quickly from one ocean to the other. Now, the works of the canal are of such character that a warship might easily put the canal out of commission. We are authorized to police the canal, and we have a treaty right to erect Qualifications there
 Qualifications are the best and most secure method of protecting the canal against the attack of some irresponsible nation or armed force. It is said that We could neutraliZe the canal ,and by inducing all nations to agree not to attack the canal, Se- cure its immunity from injury. But the trouble is that nation is quite as likely to vacate it's obligations as men, especially under great stress. such as war. It seems that we should put ourselves in such d position with reference to this property so that if any nation should forget its oblga- tion, we will be in a position to pre- vent unlawful injury to this instru ment of commerce."
 The fact that we fortify the canal will not prevent us from discharging 1 all the international obligations that we may have in respect to it, but it , will enable us to defend ourselves in it's possession against the act of every ( irresponsible force or nation" (
 The president said that the United ! States had an excellent coast defense l for every important harbOr that any ( enemy would enter. He continued; '
 There has been a good deal of talk I in the papers and some reference in congress to the supposed helpless con l litiOn of this country in the event of ' a foreign invasion. l venture tO think , that much more has been made of C this than the facts, calmly consid- a cred, would justify. We have very " good navy. and with the opening of [ -he Panama canal it will be much } more effective one. It will be useful | -O prevent the coming of an invading army across the seas i
 In deprecating the idea of a war { scare. the president said: A little>fT n6re forethOught. little more atten- T ion to the matter on the part of ! congress. and we shall have all the q lrmy and all the munitions and ma u erial for war that we ought to have { n a republic situated as we are 5000 n niles on one hand and 5000 miles on n he other from any source of hostile nvasion''
 Speaking of the achievements in he past of courts of arbitration, the president said: "Now. if we can ne- 4