The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-12-18
President Tells Peace SOciet.
Country's Unpreparedness
Has Been Exaggerated.
WARNS HEARERS CANAL
MUST BE FORTIFIED
General Hodges Declares Japan
Could Easily Invade Our
Pacific States.
Special to The Tribune.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11.-Following
tho suppression of Secretary Dickin-
son s report pointing out the military
Of the United States. n
well defined war scare is affecting the
country. Those who arc opposed TO in
creasing tho armaments of the United
States express the opinion that tho
army chiefs arc purposely working up
scare TO influence legislation, and
they cite the history of other congress
sional sessions to show that panic talk
about our unpreparedness is usually
rampant whenever the army and navy
appropriation bills arc up for consid-
Grafton.
Whatever the cause Of the condition,
it is clear that the president of the
United States and the higher officers
of the army and navy arc thinking
and talking of war. La some quarters
Japan IS named as a probable enemy.
In Chicago today General c. L. Hodges
declared that the japanese could easily
land on our Pacific shores with their
armies and could be rcpelled only after
long and expensive war,
Taft Seeks to Allay Fears.
While the war scare was assuming
respectable proportions tonight. the
American Society for the Judicial Set
tlement of international Disputes held
banquet in the interest of world IS
peace here tonight. Many noted men
spoke, and among them was President
Taft, who declared it was his purpose
to allay the 81 'socalled war scare
"There is not the slightest reason
for u,,nb sensation hpcnnSp yyp rp at
peace with all the nations of the world
and are quite likely to remain so, - he
said
The president said his purpose in out
lining the preparedness of the United
States for war sat peace meeting
was TO show by contrast the great
worthiness of the movement for n per.
universal peace.
The president summarized the con
dition of the national defenses and
urged that n policy of ''wise military
preparation" be pursued He empha
sized the fact that the American peo-
pie never would consent to the main
tenance of a standing army sufficient
to cope with that of the greater powers.
He urged the retention of the present
regular army, the improvement of the
national militia, the passage Of the
present volunteer bill to go into OPP
Grafton should war bo declared, and
the passage Of law now before con
gress providing for a force of addi-
tional officers who will be liable IN
ice in drilling the militia OF the
states,'' and finally the accumulation
OF guns and ammunition to equip and
arm the force we could collect under
the eolors in an emergency
Cites Danger to Canal.
President Taft asserted that the best
method of ultimately securing dlsarm-
ament among nations was the estab.
Gshment of an international court and
the development of q code of interna'
tional equity. Declaring that the coun.
try has not reached point where war
is impossible he cited the canal ques'
ton. He said.
"Take the question Of the Panama
canal We have property which. when
completed. will be worth s40o,o00:0oo
at least ii will have cost us that
It has been built not alone to further
the cause of the world IS commerce, but
also TO bring our eastern and western
seaboards closer together, and to &C.
cure US the military benefit ena bling
our naval feet to pass quickly from
one ocean to the other. Now, the works
of the canal are of such character
that warship might easily put the
canal out of commission
tWe are authorized to police the ca"
nal and protect it and we have the
treaty right TO erect fortifications there.
Fortifcations are best and most secure
mode of protecting that canal against
the attack Of some irresponsible nation
OF armed force.
Nations as Fickle as Men.
uIt is said that we could neutralize
the canal and by inducing all nations
to aeree not to attack the canal, Sc
cure it's immunity from injury But
the trouble is that nations are quite rs
likely as men to violate their obllga
tions under great stress, like that of
war,
"It seems to me that we ought TO
put ourselves In q position with ref"
srence to this very valuable and deli
cate piece OF property, so that should
any nation forget its obligation, We
will be in position to prevent ur
lawful injury TO this instrument OF
commerce so valuable to the world and
so indispensable to us.
f1The fact that we fortify the canal
will not prevent us from discharging
all international obligations that we
may have in respect to ii. but it Will
enable Ms to defend ourselves in it's
possession against the act of every
irresponsible force or nation 1t will
not prevent our maintaining it's neu-
trality if that is wise and right
Good Coast Defenses,
The president said the United States
had excellent coast defenses for every
important harbor that an enemy would
enter He summarized the prepared
Continued on PAGE Eight.