The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1915-12-07
declares That u Fuls Nav
Program Is Carried Out.
We WIN Have q Fleet For.
Defense That win 30.
Gifted 10 Our kssds and.
Worthy Of Our Traditions i 2
Greatest !Dangsrst0sC ountry.
Comes From Within Our.
BoIdsIs.

Z - w. = u . y q ~ z
Of how necessary IS that we should
hasten their building.
There SIS. I venture TO point out. an
especial Significance Just now attach
ing to this whole matter Of drawing
the Americas together IN bonds OF hon.
orable partnership and mutual adyan-
tage because % tile economic ireadjust.
ments which the world must Inevitably
witness within the next generation,
when peace shall have at last resumed
Its healthful tasks. In the perform.
ance of these tasks ! believe the Amer:
icas to be destined TO play their parts
together. / am interested to f1 your
attention on this prospect now because
unless you take It within your view
and permit the full significance OF it to
command your thought cannot find
the right light In which to set forth
the particular matter that lies at the
very front Of my whole thought as |
address you today. | mean national
defense.
No one who really compartments the
spirit Of the great people forlwbom we
are appointed to speak can fail to per-
ceiye that their passion is for peace,
their genius best displayed in the prac-
tee OF the arts Of peace. Great democ.
racles arc not beliigerent They do not
seek or desire war. Their thought Is
OF Individual liberty and Of the free
labor that supports life and the I'm;
censored thought that qulckcns 1t.
Conquest and dominion are not in orr
reckoning or agreeable to our prlnci.
pies. But Just becav Use we demand nll.
molested development and the undls.
turbed government OF our own lives
upon our own principles OF right and
liberty, We resent, from Whatever
quarter 1t may come. the aggression We
ourselves will not practice. We insist
upon security In prosecuting our self
chosen lines of national development.
We do more than that. We demand 1t
also for others. We do not con6ne our
enthusiasm for Individual liberty and
free national development to the Incl.
dents aud movements OF affairs which
affect only ourselves. We feel It wher.
ever there Is a people that tries to walk
in these difficult paths OF independence
and right. From 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.
bors should be free from all outside
domination as that we ourselves should
be; have set America aside as whole
for the uses Of Independent nations and
political freemen. 4
Out OF such thoughts grow nil our
policies. We regard war merely as a
means Of asserting the rights of a PEG.
pie against aggression. And we are.
as fiercely jealous Of .coercire or dicta.
torial power within our own nation
as Of aggression from without. We
Will not maintain a standing army ex.
cept for uses which are as necessary
Z In times of peace as in times OF war.
and We shall always see to It that our
military peace establishment is no
larger than Is aetually'and continuous.
elysneeded for the uses Of days in which
no enemies move againstsus. But we
do believe in a body Of free citizens
ready and suficient to take care Of
themselves and of tho governments
which they have set UP to serve them.
In our constitutions themselves We
have commanded that "the right Of
the people to keep and bear arms shall
not be infringed,' and our confidence
has been that our safety In times Of
danger would lie in the rising of the
nation to take care OF itself, as the
farmers rose at Lexington.