The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1912-01-08
War Secretary Comes From Oyster
Bay Jndisturbed by all
the War Talk.
DOESN'T BELIEVE IT AT ALL
More Anxious About Saving the General
staff and Strengthening
the Army.

r"tary says there is nothing in sight that
would shake his loyalty TO either the
President or Col Roosevelt
Secretary Stimson motorei to Oyster
Bav over snowy roads and found the
Colonel waiting with outs.retched hands
at the door Of the Sagnmore Hill resi-
dencc They had lunch and long chat
and then the Secretary whizzed back
through nippng airs to his father home
at 2I7 Lexington avenue
81 went TO call on Col Roosevelt mainly
for reasons of personal friendship" said
Mr. Stimson Il always try to sec him
when | can. Mrs Stimson and had
dinner with him the night before Christ
mas
"Ies. talked politics with the Colonel
I've always talked politics with him. :"
added the Secretary with laugh
"Did you discuss the recent newspaper
stories that he will oppose President
Taft s denomination or he candidate
himself"
THAT was touched on" said the Secre-
tarv smilingly But | should like to
make this quite plain am and have
been for many years close. personal
friend of Theodore Roosevelt and OF
William II Taft | have mover in the
past and do not now find il difficult in the
slightest degree to be loyal to both of
tho-" friendships | ioined Nir Tart's
Cabinet after consul'at on With Col Roose-
welt and on Cot Roosevelt's advice
have never believed that Col Roosevelt
will bc a candidate AGAINST Mr.. Taft and
after talking to Col! Roosevelt to-day !
find no reason 20 change INV mind
Secretary Stlmson came to New York
last Friday evening To revi"w the seventy
first Regiment On Saturday he went
down the bay to inspect Forts Wads-
worth, Hamilton and Hancock and TO
size up the coast artillery work What
he saw Pleased him
The inspection satisfied mo tia: our
sea coast art lery is In splenC - shape"
SAID the Secretary. New York needn't
get nervous with sucn dcfcu""s at its
front door The enemy that tried TO
batter a way into the harhor would have
a sad time of It Bat am almost afraid
to saw much along that line because
fear tnat many reople. especially out in
the middle West, .hlnk that as long as
We have good coast artillery and i'm
pI'EIh'i' lldI'pI '"l''1''~ W. up1 l H"cl
stroNE mobile army.
The coast G"fenceS can't do every
thlnc Inc most tGcv can DO is To protect
IN" coast cities and keep "a, enemy from
getting clos" enough to kill or damage.
They az" effective AGAINST sea raiders,
but If the enemy found a landing some
whore else along tce coast the fort could
b" walked INTO from h"llnd # there wasn't
au elective tnopn" army to engage HIM
We must not LET q" fact or our splendid
sea coast d"i"nc'~ lu!i US INTO the belief
that - l. rot necessary II maintain an
oHe'ttv" army that can be mobilize
rapidly
Tn" Secretary sad that the matter
that * occupying his attention mostly
these davs is the proposition to abolish
tho General STAT and 10 Increase the
,,,,,.,d 80 ,,l,,,.,,,,,, ., G,., ,.o,r
Pe'Io" 81 e''''9."t'"' I" ">e Years
MI "dhi' II" sd'd' Is 20 get tha'
matter before IN" country so that II can
be discussed ade luatolv The proposed
chong,s that Will moan so much to tba
,,,' 49, ,,,,,,,,, ,l,o, ,,sI,,,, i, ,,,,,l,,i,,;,,,
"H'N :" ,'"'" la - '"''' III my 'i,'i,,'i''
are tackled ON I" the appropriations blll IN
the form of rider. In that form they are
much NOR. likely to go through Congress
and !, vo,,Id ha d,airult II nossihIe ov.r
-, -, ,.;,,,,'
LOT VI" '''N''en' y" N''" ",'"ou' MINING
the ohtlr" appropriations plli. oi cours"
there is a tradition IN the army that once
for six months when an appropriat ious
i,uI n,o, ,.,,,,d ,b, so,..,,., ,,.as ,,ai,
'''
ta'h'" 'hroish ''e t'n''"S'S vi private
citizens lha' would ID" rather heavy
strain ON patriotism these days. imagine
"Elhu Roots great reforms in army
,r,,.,,i,,,,,, i,.,,u,.d ,hor, ,,, ,,ars
t... ..
"N'' ~ 49, N''''"H ~ "' i'u'''
The General Stan has made good. The
War College and she line and stalr schools
ot Ieavrnworth have dome great things
,,, ,ba army .rd por !, !, ,ronosad
io' vs.,
TO take stePpdcA"aru' 'ohs step' Al
least these proposed cnanges should be
presented 70 Congress IN the form of
separate bill SO that there could be free
discussion,
Il know. continued the Secretary
that there is considerable misapprehen-
sion here and there as to the value OF the
General stan, Many people do not know
of the hard work done by these officers
| or of what value their study and iner-
change of ideas Is TO the army. Not so
| long ago Gen, Wood, the Chief of Stan,
and myself were on our way TO inspect
| n small fort hear tho Mexican border
| Wood was in civilian dress Just in front
| of us in the tram sat Il couple of enlisted
men who werc talking about us, They
| had heard that the secretary and Gen,
! Wood were going to visit the fort,