Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-12-10
TAFT DEGREES WAR
SCARE IN SPEECH
At S0MERv|LLE

Somervi1c. Nass., Dec. 9--Assumption
ny Congress of authority TO nrevent
states from violating, by laws or law
less violence. United States treaties
would do moro to prevent tho possibility
Of war between this nation and another
than Increasing the army and navy
former President W. II. Tnft declared.
tonight in an address before the
Heptorean club.
The only real possibility Of a war
that 7 can foresee is tho wanton. reck-
less, wicked willingness on the part Of
narrow section OF the country TO
crafty racial prejudice and class hatred
by fragrant breach Of treaty rights in
the form Of State law or by la,vlass
violence" he said. Congress should ut
once assume authority for the national
government to see to II that # cannot
he dragged into international difficulties
through such blind selfishness and his
step would be quite as effective as i'm
proving our military defenscs. Indeed
7 think 1t would be more effective to pre-
vent the possibility Of war"
Congress could delegate power to the
national government. to the President and
tho federal courts, Mr. Taft said. which
would insure aliens peaceful residence and
the right to do business In this country
Mr. Taft did not name any State in this
connection.
While deprecatlng the mild hystera"
regarding this countrv's defenses, Mr..
Taft admitted that parts of the army AMI
navy should be strengthened. He wou1
increase the army from * to ~ per cent.
insure tho navy enough men to man the
reserve vessels and provide new artillery,
chiefly for coast defenses.
"There is no necessity for great excite
ment," he said. ''What should be done
can be done in n short time and with no
excessive expenditure
1T Is said that our coast defenses have
no artillery with range long enough
to resist the attacks of some of the
naval artillery that could be brought
against them. Tht is true, but venture
to think that an attack upon our coast
Notifications out Of range of the guns
we have in them would not he likely to
result either in their destruction or sur
render. but that is no reason why with
the development of guns Of longer range
we cannot have enough of them mot
many needed and have them within
"Our coast defcnses are otherwise quite
complete for the resistance to naval at
tack and, with congressional provision
for the new guns in one appropriation
bill, can make a successful naval attack
upon them entirely out of the question.
Were we to be called into war In an
emergency would not have a standing
army of the size of tho standing armies
Of the nations of Europe or Japan We
don't need ii to resist their attack II we
have a good navy and good coast de-
fenses. because the difficulties Of trans
portation of large army with mod
ern navy of the size of our navy with
torpedo boats and Submarines to resist
! It would be insuperaho"
| knowledge Of the need Of Improvement
is not new, Mr. Taft said, as tho attention
OF Congress often has been called to ex.
listing conditions. but appropriations have
not been forthcoming.
/ More officers should he trained, he held,
and sugge sted this might he accomplished
| by providing another West Point. giving
free educa ton TO all who agreed to serve
three years with the colors. The national
guard, he said, should be improved and
reasonable appropriations would bring
good results. The American people he
said would not ensure CONSUMPTION in
times OF peace and this method of in
! creasinG the army could not be rcsorted
! to.
The present war, Mr.. Taft Remarked
showed that the day has not arrived when
the possibility of war can be removed by
treaty or arbitration
Treaties establishing courts for the
settlement of intern national controversies"
and utility must be made by strong
| governments maintaining peace and or
der within their own boundaries and sup
! ported by a contented people. As long
as governments are unjust and tryan-
meal. the possibility OF wars or revolu-
tons cannot disappear and ought not to
ldisappear. We must recognize that war
| has done much for progress of 'civiliza-
ton in the past and that the character
y OF the government in many countries
has not reached that benevolent and Just
stage which would make revolution IN
| iustifiabe. Tho present war demon
strates that treaties may he broken and
| lust rights violated by nations in tho
| first rank Of civilization. Therefore,
what tho wise optimists in the matter
| of peaceful means of settling interna-
tional disputes should look for Is not
| panacea to abolish war hut peaceful
means which may be substituted for war
| by nations which wish to avoid it. so
that wars may he made less likely there
| without them"