The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1915-11-15
NATIONAL DEFENSE AS
VIEWED BY BRECKENRIDGE

defense founded upon such system
as the administration proposed con
tinental army, offers the only pos
sible avenue of escape from compulso-
ry military service for all citizens
'snd its attendant evils. assistant sec
'retary Breckenridge of the war de.
partment, declared today, addressing
the annual convention here of the ma
tional guard association.
"In the last year, said Mr.. Breck-
indridge. I'VE have seen all the mani
fold resources of nations welded into
one instrument and subordinated to
one will for the waging of war on a
scale never before Witnessed in his.
tory. If the liberties of republics are
to be maintained, their military re
sources must be adequately translat-
ed into military strength. For the
first time in the history of our country
a settled and permanent military poll
cy is proposed for the nation. There
are those who say it will not work
The answer is that it will have to
work. And, furthermore, that If it will
not work. then nothing adequate can
be had except under the compelling
hand of militarism that none of us
desire to contemplate.
81 say to you that this proposed
military policy, imperfect if it be, is
the product of earnest patriots on
whom our constitution and the laws
have placed responsibility for working
out just such a scheme. They have
done their best. appeal for your
patriotic support, for if this result,
which is the product of so much la
bor OF such infinite conselling and
conferences, which has received the
imprimature of the president, of the
heads of the legislative military com
mittees, and of the sober opinion of
the press of the country, fail of adop-
/ tion, then we have chaos, inaction and
the continuing compromise of the safe
/ ty of the republic"
In opening his remarks, Secretary
| Breckenridge read letter from sec
retary Garrison regretting the latters
inability to attend the convention and
urging support for the war depart
Iment's defense Mans.
"Those interested in proper mill
tary preparation and precaution,' the
letter said, "have an Unprecedented
opportunity to accomplish something
of incalculable value to the country.
1--WE must all lay aside any feeling
we may have concerning non-essen-
tials. We must show our disinterested
public spirit and our patriotism by
getting together on a common ground
for a viewpoint, and by rendering mu-
tual assistance for results.
81 stand ready to do this, and feel
an abiding confidence that you also
do.
Being thus actuated by the right
spirit and working together to accom-
plish the right end, we may rest as
sured that success will be merited
and achieved"
Secretary Breckenridge paid high
tribute to the spirit that had kept
the national guard alive and active
and build it up to an organization
10000 strong, despite public apathy
toward the question of military pre-
paredness in days of peace.
Ever since the Spanish War" he
said, there has been a group of men,
mselfish persistent, energetic, that in
season and out of season and always
without any great favor, have dinned
into the ears of the American public
the now apparent need for expansion
and improvement of the land forces of
the nation. Today as national
guardsman | proclaim the credit that
/ IL uut W llt Sudlu lOl Slu6 anu
keeping alive in this country an es
sential and reasonable military spirit
and appreciation of the truths of mill
tary history when they were most
needed
In outlining the gigantic task OF
working out an adequate military poll
cy for the nation the speaker said
the Swiss military system was not
adaptable to American needs, as the
federal government could not control
the school system of the country, and
the constitution provided for state
troops, while the Australian system
would have taken too long a time to
turn out trained soldiers Faced with
these problems, he added the origina-
tors of the policy had fallen back upon
what the president had defined as "a
citizenry trained and accustomed to
arms" and always ready to take the F.
field. This, he said, was the theory /.