Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1915-12-07

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rneerrr- IN WASN'T ACTON recently OF
representatives Of the pan-AmeTican
republics and says that economic adj
i;istrnent is inevita bic In the next gem
GRAFTON.
No one who really conprehends the
spirit OF the great people for whom se
are appointed 10 sE eak can fail to per
eeiYe that their passion Is for peace,
their genins best displayed In fhe prsc
tee Of the arts ~ sleace. Great dernoc-
racies are not hel1i zerent They do nof
seek or desire wssr Their thought Is
Of individual liberty and Of the free
labor that supports life and the un-
censored thought. that qtEiekens IT,
Conquest and dor ainion are not in our
reckoning or ayr eeabie 10 CTR priuci-
pies. But Just benause we demand IN
nolested development and the undis-
turbed government Of our own lives
upon our own pr inciples Of right and
liberty. we res snt, from whatever
quarter 1T may CO ne, the aggression we
ourselves win net practice. We insist
upon security In prosecuting our self
chosen lines of national development.
We do more tina II that. We demand 1t
also for others. We do not eonfiDe our
enthusiasm for individual liberty and
free national d Development to the incl
dents and NOV, tnents OF affairs which
affect only ours elves. We feel it wher-
ever there is n people that tE1ss to walk
In these difficult: paths Of independence
and right. F'r BIN the first we have
made common cause with all partisans
Of liberty on this side the sea and have
deemed it as important that our neigh
hors should be free from all outside
DONNA ton as that we ourselves should
he; have set America aside as whole
for the uses of independent nations and
political freemen-
Out Of such thoughts grow all our
policies. We nagard war merely az a
means of asserting the rights OF peo-
(! pie against aggression. And we are
as fieroegy jealous Of coerdve or dicta-
( toriai power within our own nation
as Of aggression from without. We
| viii not maintain q standing army ex-
cept for uses which are as necessary
/ in times of peace as in times Of war.
Suggests Broad Plan.
But war has never been Il mere mat
| ter of MEG and guns. 1t Is thing
( Of disciplined might. If our citizens
are ever 10 fight effectively upon q
sudden SUMMONS they must know
how modern fighting is done, and what
I To do when the summons comes to
render themselves Immediately avail
able and Immediately effective And
! the governments must be their servant
in this matter, mist supply them with
/ the training they need 10 take care Of
1 themselves ard Of ii, The military
arm of their government. which they
( viii not allow 20 direct them, they may
/ properly use . serve them and make
/ their indepen dence secure. and not
their own Independence merely. but
| the rights also Of those with whom
: they have made common cause. should
they also be put III jeopardy. They
| must be dtted TO play the great role
| In the wot1d- and particularly in this
hemisphere, for which they are quail
fed By principle and by chastened am
bttion TO play.
( 1t is with these ideals in mind that
/ the plans Of the department Of war for
more adequate national defense were
( conceived which win be laid before
/ you. and which I urge you TO sanction
and put into effect as soon as they can
be properly aerutinized and discussed
They seem to me the essential first
steps, and they seem to ne for the
present sufficient.
They contemplate an increase Of the
standing force of the regular army
from its present strength Of 5,023 Off
GERS and 102,9s5 enlisted men of all
services TO a strength of 7,136 officers
and 134,70 enlisted men, or l41 ,S43
all told. all services, rank and file. by
the addition of fifty two companies of
coast artillery. fifteen companies Of en-
gineens. ten regiments Of infantry, four
regiments Of field artillery and four
aero sraadrons, besides $50 officers re-
quired for great variety Of extra
service. especially the all important
duty of training the citizen force Of
which I shall presently speak. 792 nom
commissioned officers for service in
drill. recruiting and the like and the
necessary quota Of enlisted men for
she quartermaster corps. the hospital