The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1915-11-12
BE PREPARED
GET READY, NOT FOR WAR, BUT
FOR DEFENSE, SAYS THE
PRESIDENT.
Wilson Asks Nations Support Of
Plans for Preparedness at Ban
quet in New York City.

Western Newspaper Union News Service
New York. President Wilson
opened the administration campaign
for its national defense program in a
comprehensive and carefully prepared
address delivered on the 4th at the
Manhattan Club banquet
The President was received with
enthusiastic applause as he entered
the banquet hall and during his ad-
dress
The President called upon men of
all shades of political opinion" to rally
to the support OF the program.
He spoke of the United States as
- nation too big and generous to be
exacting, but yet courageous enough
to defend its rights and the liberties
of its people, wherever assailed or in
volved."
The President spoke in part as fol-
lows:
''Mr. POSTMASTER and Gentlemen:
"A year and a half ago our thought
would have been almost altogether Of
great domestic questions. They are
many and OF vital consequence. We
must and shall address ourselves to
their solution with diligence, firmness
and self-possession.
I'VE are thinking now chiefly of our
relations with the rest OF the world
not our commercial relations-about
those we have thought and planned
always, but about our political rela-
tons, our duties as an individual and
tn. fHa nrld To Nryr.
selves, our neighbors and the world
ITSELF
"Our principles are we'll known. 1t
10 not necessary to avow them
again. We believe in political liberty
and founded our great government to
obtain 1t, the liberty Of men and OF
peoples-of men to choose their own
lives and Of peoples to choose their
own allegiance.
I'VE shall. confidently believe.
never again take another foot of ter
ritory by conquest. We shall never
in any eli .umstances seek to make an
Independent people subject to our do
minion, because we believe. we pas
sionately believe, In the right OF ev-
cry people, to choose their own al
leeiance and be free OF masters alto
gether.
For ourselves we wish nothing but
the full liberty of self-development;
and with ourselves in this great mat
ter we associate all the peoples Of
our own hemisphere.
I'VE have it in mind to be prepared
but not for war, but only for defense.
THAT plan calls for only such an
increase in the regular army OF the
United States as experience mas
proved to be required for the perform
anee of the necessary duties OF the
army In the Philippines, in Hawaii, In
Porto Rico, upon the borders OF the
United States, at the coast fort1ffca-
ttons and at the military posts OF the
interior.
"For the rest, 1t calls for the train
ing within the next three years OF
force of 100000 citizen soldiers to be
raised in annual contingcnts OF 1885,
600. who would be asked to enlist for
three years with the colors and three
wears on furlough, but who during
their three years OF enlistment with
the colors would not be organized az
standing force, but would be expected
merely to undergo intensive training
for a very brief period Of each year.
"Their training would take place In
immediate association with the organ
ICED units Of the regular army.
at has been American policy time
out of mind to look to tn, navy as the
first and chief line OF defense. The