The Alaska citizen., 1915-01-18
Phone SOE Phone
u.-aoN'o hRMY POLICY.

President Nilsson, m lis messaz- to oa4=1ezz. protested against the ,.e.s-u4e Ias ....aers wao ale uag ing a lal1er standinz at.Dy and ar, ueeIaan4 tat jae ,ygnuy is not pro pared i0r wal h his iaesaaae. Nh Wilson asks congress to keep it. head. and It Is to be hoped that his .ueat Nin be observed
 This latest message of the na ton executive head Is not only one of rare comHon sense, but is a lif erars gem. in which the purest Eng fish is u-ed 10 cool the heads of the excitabIe element in congress ..-e following lahen from MT, Will sci's messa-e. should bc Kept in mind by every true American and should become just as widely read a- .z EHnc9la'> Get,yshurs speech:
 "Tle subject of national defense cannot be discussed without first answering some NeIy searching ques tions. II is said in some quarters ,lat We aie h0t prepare! for WAT. NAaf k meant by beinS prepared Is il meant that We are moi ready upon tr-ef notice 10 put d nation l9 FEC field a nation of men trained to arms? Ol course. we aIe not ready to do that; and W" shall never re il Jiae cf peace so long as w. retain our present political prime. .'es and institutions.
 "Ard what is it that it is sug ge=ted ne should be prepared to do To defend ourselves against attack Ne have always found means to dc that and shall find them whenever il is necessary without calling our people away from their necessary tasks to render compulsory military s,ta "e in times of peace.
 We are at peace with all tie world No one who speaks counsel based on fact or drawn from a just end caadid interpretation of reali ties can say that there is reason 10 fear that from any quarter our in- dependence or the integrity of our territory is threatened. Dread of the power of any other nation We are Incapable of. We mean to live our own itres as We will; but We mean - to let live
 We are, indeed true friend to all the nations of the world, be cause We threaten none. covet the poas essIons of none, desire the over throw of none. Our friendship can te accepted, and is accepted with out reservation. because it is of fered in a spirit and for a purpose which no one need ever question O. suspect. T, erein lies our greatness"
 But the strongest point in this argument against the effort being made to have the United States !,cep a great sranding army is made as follows by the President:
 We must depend in every time of national peril, in the future as in the past not upon a standing army nor yet upon reserve army. but a citizenry trained and accustomed tc arms"
 Concerning the need of a larger navy. Mir. Wilson, in his message said
 "A powerful navy we have always reearded as our proper and natural means Of defense; and il has always been of defense that we have thought never of aggression or of conquest But who shall tell us now what sort Of navy to build? We shall take leave to be strong upon the seas. in the future as in the past; and there will be no thought of offense or Of provocation in that Our ships are our natural bulwarks When will the experts tell us what kind We should construct-and when will they be right for ten years together If the relative efficiency of craft of different kinds and uses continues to change as We have seen il change under our very eyes in these last few months?"