Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-15
President Says Country Should Be
Prepared for War.
MR.. SHERWOOD ALSO SPEAKS
Urges Veterans to Use influence in
Behalf of Dollar-a-Day
Pension Bill.

more than 20Oveterans Of theWar between
the states. made a plea against the re-
duction of the number Of cavalry regi-
ments in the regular army. Coming
from the foremost advocate among the
worlds rulers of universal peace and
International arbitration, the address Of
the President was regarded as par
ticularly significant. He said:
You are a part of the great army
that, saved the republic. You are an evil
dence that in the past, at least, though
a republic, we have not been able to live
without war. You are not in love with
war. You know what it is. You under
stand the awful consequences in it's i'm
mediate happening, the dreadful conse-
quences that follow for years, even after
1t comes to an end, and 1 never rise be-
fore body Of Grand Army men that l
don't know that I find in their hearts q
response to every effort that is made for
future peace.
Should Be Prepared.
War is an awful thing to contemplate.
and I have no doubt that you. who look
back to the real blood, to the cruelties
and to the awful sorrows that were in
war. can testify that it is not something
to wish for, but something to avoid at all
honorable hazards. And yet. my friends,
much as We desire peace, much as We
hope that We may be able to devise in
the near future some means of assuring
all these nations that are armed to the
controversies other than by war, we
know that being charged with the respon-
sibility of defending the integrity of our
nat'o on, we must continue to be prepared
until we reach the time when only peace
is possible.
Therefore We ought to look with the
gravest concern and with a great deal of
caution upon any proposition to reduce
the army and the navy SO as to make
them less useful for the defense of our
duties that We as a world power have as
sumed in the last decade. 1t does not
make any difference whether we ought to
have assumed them-upon that question
1 would like to be heard before it Is de-
cided-we have assumed them, and to
say that that one soldier in thousand
Of our population is too great for us to
support is to say that we are not ma
ton willing to meet our responsibilities.
May Lose Effectiveness.
Zone soldier in a thousand is not. under
the hand Of the most tyrannical and
despotic and ambitious executive, going
to subject our people to any particular
danger. But if five regiments are taken
away from the fifteen we have, it may
be that it will prevent our discharginG in
the effective way We ought our duties as
a nation. This should not be undertaken
until 1t Is ascertained certainly that we
can perform those obligations that We
have to our people and those peoples for
whom We have assumed obligation and
protection and still part with that force.
with
pleasure to appeal to this body Of men
who don't desire men in the army just
for the purpose of show-they have mad
all that in their early youth, and they
except for actual use-to discharge the
duties that the nation ought to discharge.
I believe we are going to get those trea-
ties ratified, and / know / have your as
sistance in trying to do SO. l do think it
is proper to invite your attention, as
men who know, as men skilled in the
actual defense of the country, and to
arouse your interest in the question
whether we ought to reduce the mobile
army. small as it is, for this country. and
reducing our expenses. I don't believe
You agree with that, and / thank you for
your sympathy in that regard.
81 thank the chairman for the oppor-
tunity of coming here and associar1ng
with you and breathing in this atmos-
that must be sweet to every man who
looks back to having exposed his life in
defense of his country and in the saving
of such nation
Address of MI. Sherwood.
Preceding the address of the FRESH
dent, who was introduced by Toastmaster
Thomas II. Mckee. the veterans listened
to Representative Isaac r. Sherwood of
Ohio. introduced as a democratic vice
presidential possibility, who urged Wash
ington members Of the G. A. r. to exert
their influence with senators to secure
the passage of the Sherwood dollar-a-day
pension bill.
Judge II. NJ Trimbie. COMMANDMENTS
chief of the G. A. r.: Gen. Nelson A.
Miles, Archbishop Ireland and Gen. John
G.. Black, chairman of the civil service
commission, spoke. the addresses being
descriptive of or relating to the part
taken by the veterans in the preservation
and the upbuilding of the Union and the
nation. Music was furnished by Miss
Lillian koechling, violinist: Miss Marion
SdcFall, soprano: f. A. Lange, who sans
several patriotic songs; George c. Lilli-
bridge. who sang I'VE Drank From the
Same Canteen." Accompaniments were
played by Miss Mildred Harrison and
Phil G. Addison.
Nomina tons and election OF officers will
take place tonight at the encampment In
D.