Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-07-22

san Z a4lIISSOs -A---cibiANA
Theodore Roosevelt addressed the
Fanama-Pacfic Exposition crowds TO-
Gay on Preparedness for War. The
speech was given over almost entire
ly TO that theme and he set it forth
with new emphasis.
Il firmly believe that there should
be universal military service TOR our
young men on the Swiss model. SAID
the former President, at one point IN
lis speech.
At another. referring TO the price
which Belgium had paid because OF
her unpreparedness, he said:
Some day or other it may we'll be
that we shall have to pay ON a ten
fold greater scale the same price ror
exactly the same reasons, and, II sucn
should be the case. remember, my fell
low countrymen. that whereas the
case of the BeigIans excited warm
sympathy, our nisfortunes would ex-
cite nothing but scorn and contempt,
for a rich. powerful, boasrfuI people
invites the ridicuIe of all mankind Il.
whether from sheer Stiffness and short
,sighredness. or from soft timldity, or
from gross ana greedy devotion 20 the
material benefits of the nomeT.. it
fails TO prepare itself 10 defend itS
own rights with its own strength
Col Roosevelt spoke derisIvely OF
"elocution as a substitute for action
and in his arraignmenu Of those VINO
stood in the way Of preparedness for
war. he said the professional paci
Aa M a
sistance universal arbitration people
are seeking 20 Chlnafy this country
20 reduce it TO the level OF impotence
to which old China sank The aver
age Chinaman. he said. had taken the
view that China was too proud TO
fight" and in practice made evident
his hearty approval of that abject
pacifist song, I Didn't Raise Ny Boy
TO be a Soldier
With all OF his old-tir7e vigor, Col.
Roosevelt denounced the all-inclusive
arbitration treaties. which the United
States had entered into and said that
in declining to apply their principle
IN the case of the Lusitania there had
been evidence of national hypocrisy
or else an utter reckiessness Of folly
sarv 70 repudiate the principle in the
Lusitania case. the Colonel agreed
but "A shameful thing to have put
ourselves IN such position that IL
rad 20 be repudiated.'
Tile United states had treated The
E4gue Conventions as mere scraps
Of PAPER he said. when the demand
vas made to show that our sigma
lures meant something
Y have a very strong feeling about
the Panama Exposition" said Col.
Roosevelt in beginning his speech.
1t was my good fortune 10 take the
action in 1903. failure to take which.
in exactly the shape I took it. would
have meant that no Panama Canal
would have been built for half 4 cen
TRY AMI therefore that there would
have been on Exposition 10 celebrate
me building of the Canal. In every
hing we did in connection with the
c4uiring of the Panama Zone We act
- in a way 10 do absolute justice TO
II other nations, 10 benefit ali other
nations including especially the ad-
accent states. and 10 render the ut
most service. from the standpoint
alike OF honor and of material inter-
est. to the United States. I am glad
that this Is the case, for If there were
the slightest faint upon our title or
cur conduct il would have been an
improper and shameful thing to hold
this Exposition.
The building of the Canal nearly
doubles the potential efficiency of the
United States Navy, as long as IT is
fortified ana IS in our hands; but if
left unfortifed. i would At once be-
come a menace 20 us.
What is true as 70 our proper at
t;tude IN regard TO the Canal is no
less true as regards our proper attl-
tude concerning the interests OF the
United States taken as a whole. The
Canal is TO be a great agency for
peace: it can be such only. and ex-
actlv in proportion as il increased our
potential efficiency in war
Those men who like myself be-
lieve that the highest duty of this ma
ton is to prepare itself against war,
SO that il may safely fruits its honor
ana interest to its own strength. are
advocating merely that we do as a
nation regarding our general interests
what we have already done in Pan
-cna If, instead of acting as this ma
ton did in the fail Of 1903 we had
confined ourselves TO debates in Con-
gress and diplomatic notes. if in other
words. we had treated elocution as a
substitute for action. we would have
done nobody any good. and for our
selves we would have earned the
hearty derision of all other nations
the ~,aai would not even have been
begun at the present day: and there
would hare been a general consensus
of international opinion to the effect
that we were totally unfit to perform
any of the duties of international iife
especially in connection with the
Western Hemisphere.
Unfortunately in the last few years
we have as regards pretty much
everything not connected with the
Isthmus of Panama so failed in our
duty of national preparedness that 1
fear there actually is general con-
census OF opinion to precisely this eff
feet among the nations Of the world
as regards the United States at the
present day. This is primarily due TO
our unprepareduess.
we have been cuipably, weil-nigh