Evening star., 1915-12-10
Senator Vardaman Criticises
the Presidents Recent Mes
sage on Preparedness.
UNABLE.TO UNDERSTAND
HIS FRIGHT ABOUT FACE"
Mississippian Declares Administra'
ton Has Surrendered to Predatory
Interests, and Predicts Disaster.

Il Senator Vardanan of Missls-
4 sippi will be one of the strongest
4 opponents of the administration S
i preparedness plan when it is be-
! fore the Senate. In scathing Ian
guage today he denounced pre-
i paredness and the Presidents
message to Congress. The
Mississippi senator said the Presi-
dent within a year executed a
right-about-face movement on
preparedness, the cause of which
was difficult to understand. His
statement exemplihes the attitude
of opponents of preparedness in
Congress.
| "The Presidents message on prepar-
edness," he said, "is rather extraordf-
nary, scintillant with striking pas
saees, unequivocaI in purpose, but
pregnant, 1 fear, with evil for the fu-
ture.
"The President in this message does
not answer the arguments he made TO
Congress on the same subject in an
other message delivered one year ago
yesterday, December 8, 1914. he was
| eminently correct.
Quotes the President.
| Hear him from his own lips: What
| is meant by being prepared? Is II
meant that we are not ready upon brief
notice to put a nation in the heid,
nation of men trained to arms? Of
course we are not ready to do that; and
we shall never be in time Of peace SO
! long as we retain our present poiitical
| principles and institutions.
And what is it that it Is suggest
ed we should be prepared to do? TO
defend ourselves against attack We
| have always found means to do that,
and shall find them whenever u. 40
| necessary without calling our peopie
away from their necessary tasks "
render compulsory military service IN
| time of peace. Allow me TO SPEAK
with plainness and directness upon tnis
| great matter and to asoW my cohFic-
| tions with deep earnestness
az have tried to know what America
lis. what her people think, what they
lare and what they most cherlsh anu
hold dear. / hope that some OF tnefr
finer passions are in my own near
| some of the great conceptions ana de-
sires which gave birth to this gov
| ernment and which have made the
voice of this people voice OF peaos
and hope and liberty among the peopies
own thoughts. l shall at least. In part;
sneak theirs also, however family ana
| linadequately, upon this vital matter
eat Peace With All the World"
/ 1--WE are at peace with all the world
No one who speaks counsel based on
fact or drawn from just and Candid
Interpretation Of realities can say that
there is any reason to fear that from
any quarter our independence or the
Integrity of our territory Is threatened.
Dread of the power Of any otner 4naiaua nah,0n
l Of rivalry in the fields of commerce or
of any other peaceful achievement. We
mean to live our own lives as we VIII,
| but we mean also to let live. -..
| 1--WE are, indeed, true friend to all
1.-THE nations of the world, because we
i threaten none, covet the possessions OF
none, desire the overthrow OF none. Our
| friendship can be accepted and. Is ac.
cepted without reservation. because 1t
| is offered in a spirit and for purpose
which no one need ever question or
suspect. Therein lies our greatness:
We are champions OF peace anu oI
concord And we should be very
4 Jealous of this distinction which we
| have sought to earn. Just now We
| should be particularly jealous Of 1t
| because 1t is our dearest present hope
| that this character and reputation may
presently, in Gods providence. bring
US an opportunity such as has seldom
been vouchsafed any nation, the oppor-
tunity to counsel and obtain peace in
the world and reconciliation and a
healing settlement of many matter
that has cooled and interrupted the
friendship of nations. This is the time
| above all others when we should wish
| and resolve to keep our strength by
self-possession, our influence by pre-
serving our ancient principles of
action