The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-12-08
PEOPLES FORUM.
Who Started This Preparedness
Movement


Editor Yirsinian:
sir.--That there Is an adequate
cause for every effect is still true.
Ever since this preparedness move
Deut starte0 l have sought diligently
TOR the source Of ii, and believe that
I have found il.
] did not look for the source of this
preparedness agitation IN the plat
form adopted by the Dem ooratic Con-
vention at Baltimore for that was
sQuarciy against large army and
navy. So i commenced TO look for
the cause Of the agitation in wall
Street, and pretty soon found trail.
About February. 1915. there seemed
to he a separation between two So
fieties or periodicals. one called the
Navy and the other the Navy League.
lust the difference between these So
c1eties I am not able ~ define, nor
would II be worth while IL | could.
i{ut the Navy League Mrs To publish
its OWL periodical, The Seven Seas.
ana colonel Robert N. Thompson ap-
pears At The bat. | notice from the
New York Times Of june :. tat5.
page four. that Ce}eae Robert NJ.
thompson. chairman 81 ne Executive
Committee. Will present 10 soc premi-
nent New Workers at luncheon and
conference on Thursday al the Recess
Cub, 50 Broadway. the plan Of the
Navy League of the United states for
the immediate investme0t of $500, 000.-
GOO In greater navy ard army. One
Of the most important things at the
conference will be the petition pre-
scented to the President by the Navy
League, urging him to call special
session Of Congress to authorize the
appropriation of $500 600 600 for ma
Aonal defense. also notice that
Colonel Thompson speaks Of the new
machinery created to supply war ma
terial Tor the allies. as being the best
medium for filling the order for
$500, GOO, 900 in defense armament. +
Here / stopped to see who this
little inquiry soon brought me the
Informal ton that he had been tried
and convicted Of violating the Federal
lhw In cornering cotton and the re-
cords IN the Federal Courts building
Of New York showed that he paid
his fine 81 $4,000 for the same on
August 4, 1910. The New York
Times of June II, 1915 page eight
stated The Navy League started It's
campaign for an America navy sec-
ond 10 none in the Recess Club,
broadway, As q result f the Discus
SION which followed. more than S1T.~
500 VAS subscribed to he used for the
leagues propa ganda Those at the
luncheon included Elbrrt H. Gary,
Theodore z. Shonts. Frederic II.
caurdert. Ogden Mills Reid, j. r.
Grace, George +. Baker. Jr.t Colgate
Hoyt, S. II. p. Pell. Harry Payne
Whitney, Herbert L. Satterlee and
Seward Prosser. Subscriptions an-
noanced after the meeting we're as
follows
=
Thompson, 81. oae; T.. II. earv. ST .aaa-5
9, = Baker. Jr,, $1,000. j II. Hard-
ing. $500. l.. l. clark, so: seward
| Prosser sl61, 9, Y Bliss. gr. s1oa.
J. = Grace, 100, ard 9. r. Nnl4
sfGet
Here I commenced % think seri-i
ously. and 7 sought to sec what this
| Navy League would dc with the sf7,-i
800 for propaganda, aud after long
! search | think i found ont the oh
tect. In the leagues organ, The Seven
Seas, of Iuly. 1915. pages thirtv-fonr
and thirty-five, are these words ar
the annual banquet and ball Of the
Navy League, Colonel THOMPSON
in Introducing Admiral Fletcher. ex-l
planned the purpose of the banquet
| And / say 10 you tonight what | be-
lleve 10 be true. that the only wise
thing for the United States to do is
10 issue bonds for at least $500, 600
600 and eutrust tine expenditure II
the navy. not to tot Of congressman
who don't know, who are not tech
nlcaily informed as to what should ne
done. nor 70 ask them TO impose the
! Limitations g"
The above IS food for thought for
the taxpayer. once this prepared-
ness which IL nothing more than milf
tarisn. is fastened upon us, it will
tase years of hard labor to get it OFF
/ our necks- This preparedness agita-
| ton looks. too suspicious for me To
endorse IT, II appears to me TINT Col
onel Robert NJ. Thompson started The
| ball to rolling al tho Recess Club, 90
broadway. New York. aud that presi-
aent Wilson accelerated its speed al
the Manhattan cub OF New York.
Any way, II has too much New York
and VIII Street about Il for me to be
heve III il. There are too many men
connected with war munitions plants
/ behind the movement for prepared
! ness for me to have the least faith
In II. haze naper believed nat
wall Street was good soil for demec-
racy TO grow in.
Her" is a question which would
IKE for some one to answer. Who
are we preparing against? Ii il is
Japan, then we are about twice as
sl'ong on the sea. If IL Is Ger
many. why our navy ia much SUI
perior, Russia II 100 far off to even
dream OF ever having trouble It'll
her II i Is Great Britain, thea just
hout one fourth or one-f fifth Of the
battIeshlps and army proposed by MIR
wilson will be necessary. Indeed by
the time German submarines get
through sinking EnEland's battle
ships we could spare a few Of the
dreadnaughts that we now have and
then be able to defend ourselves
against her.
Does the plan IF preparedness, SIS
outlined by MI Wilson. prepare us
TO defend ourselves This prepared
ness Is too potent 10 deceive any one
Where is the man, woman or child
who makes the least claim to be even
II reader of newspapers, much less
a reader Of history. who believes for
one minute, or even, gives a passing
thought, that onV one nation in the