The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1915-11-11

slowly, with careful attention, our
naval force has been developed until
the navy of the United States stands
recognized as one of the most eff1ci-
ent and notable of the modern time.
"All that is needed in order to
bring it to point of extraordinary
force and efficiency as compared with
the other navies of the world is that
we should hasten our pace in the
policy we have long been pursuing,
and that chief of all we should have
a definite policy of development, not
made from year to year, but looking
well into the future and planning for
a definite contamination.
eve can and should profit in all
that we do by the experience and ex-
amples that have have been made OBJ
vious to us by the military and naval
events of the actual present.
1T is not merely matter of
building battleships and cruisers and
submarines, but also matter of
making sure that we shall have the
adequate equipment of men and mu-
nitions and supplies for the vessels
we build. Part Of our problem is
the problem of what l may call the
mobilization of the resources of the
nation at the proper time if it should
ever be necessary to mobilize them
for national defense.
| eve shall study efficiency and ade-
quate equipment as carefully as we
shall study the number and size of
our ships, and l believe that the
plans already in part made public by
the navy department are plans which
the whole nation can approve with
rational enthusiasm.
mo thoughtful man feels any pan
ic haste in this matter. The country
is not threatened from any quarter.
She stands in friendly relations with
all the world. Her resources are
known and her self-respect and her
capacity to care for her own citizens
and her own rights. There is no fear
among us. Under the new world con-
ditions we have become thoughtful
of the things which all reasonable
men consider necessary for the Sc
curity and self-defense on the part
of every nation confronted with the
great enterprise of human liberty
and independence. That is all.
"Is the plan we propose sane and
reasonable and suited to the needs
Of the hour? Does it not conform to
the ancient traditions of America?
Has any better plan been proposed
than this programme that we now
place before the country: In it there
is no pride OF opinion. 1t represents
! the best professional and expert
judgment of the country.
Safeguard COuntry's Honor.
But l am not so much interested
in programmes as l am in safeguard
ing at every cost the good faith and
honor of the country. If men differ
with me in this vital matter, l shall
ask them to make it clear how far
and in what way they are interesed
in making the permanent interests
of the country safe against disturb
| ance.
In the fulfillment of the pro-
gramme propose l shall ask for the
hearty support of the country, of the
rank and file of America, of men Of
all shades of political opinion. For
my position in this important matter
| is different from that. of the private
individual, who is free to speak his
own thoughts and to risk his own
opinions in this matter. We are here
dealing with things that are vital
to the life of America itself. In doing
this / have tried to purge my heart
of all personal and selfish motives.
For the time being I speak as the
trustee and guardian of nations
rights, charged with the duty of
speaking for that nation in matters
involving her sovereignty, a nation
too big and generous to be exacting
and yet courageous enough to defend
it's rights and the liberties of it's peo-
pie whenever assailed. / would not
feel that l was discharging the SOL
emn obligation l owe the country
were 1 not to speak in terms of the
deepest solemnity of the urgency and
necessity of preparing ourselves to
guard and protect the rights and
privileges of our people, our sacred
heritage of the fathers who struggled
to make us an independent nation.
Decries Alien Partisans.
"The only thing within our bor-
ders that has given us grave concern
in recent months has been the voices
raised in America processing to be
the voices of Americans which were
not in deed and in truth Americans,
but which spoke alien sympathies,
which came from men who loved 9TH
er countries better than they loved
America, men who were partisans of
other causes than that of America,
and had forgotten that their chief
and only allegiance was to the great
government under which they live.
"These voices have not been many
out they have been very loud and
very clamorous. They have proceed
ed from few who were bitter and
who were grievously misled. Ameri-
ca has not opened it's doors in vain
to men and women out of other ma
lions. The vast majority of those
who have come to take advantage of
her hospitality, have united their
spirits with hers as we'll as their for
tunes.
These men who speak alien syn
pathies are not their spokesman, but
are the spokesman of small groups
ghom it is high time the nation
should call to a reckoning.
1.-THE chief thing necessary in