Tonopah daily bonanza. [volume] (Tonopah, Nev.) 1906-1929, 1915-09-03
PREPAREDNESS
IS IAFTS THEME
Continued from page u

the question of preparedness, In sum
ming up what he regarded as neces-
sary preparations, he said:
81 have had time to state generally
only the naval and military prepare
tions that are at once imperative
First an increase of our navy tonnage
as rapidly as possible by 80 per cent,
and an immediate increase of the per
sonnet of the navy by nearly 10000
sailors and 900 officers.
Second, an increase in ammunition
for our great coast defense guns, the
making of few 1G-inch guns and the
completion of the defenses of the
Chesapeake at Cape Henry In addi-
ton an increase of 10000 trained
coast artillerymen and 600 officers to
man the coast defenses properly
Third, an increase in our regular
mobile army of $4,000 troops, and a
quadrupling of the supply of educated
military officers. We should also
adopt reduced term of enlistmenl
with inducement to the formation o.
reserve of trained men,
He then pointed out that to carry
out such preparations would cost &
large sum of money and that the
treasury OF the United States is moi
in d condition to warrant such expen
ditures.
1.-The program have proposed h'
said, modest as II is, will certainl!
Increase the annual total of the arm.
and navy appropriations by $l5O,O0O
600, perhaps $150,000,000 for each o
three years, and probably more.
This leaves $s25, 100000 at least o
necessary income to be provided TO
by new legislation of congress owe
and above what existing law woul
probably produce. This could be par
ly made up by the renewal of the wa
tax and of the sugar tax yielding, say
$125 100000. There would be lei
from $150,000, 900 to $200,000,000 of
deficit still to be provided for eithe
by cutting down expenses or by az
ditional taxation"
Mr. Taft pointed out that expense
could be cut down by giving authorit
and responsibility to one body of me
to consider the whole field of govern
ment income and expenditure.
A large sum, he said, would. undo
any circumstances, have to be raise
by taxation. AS a Republican, h
said, he believed that change I
policy to higher protective tart
would serve most satisfactorily bl
that he would not urge it because:
81 am trying to make practical su
gestions and not a partisan speec
and | am looking to what may reaso
! ably be demanded OF patriotic Der
ocratic congress in view OF the pre-
ent imperative need OF increasing OF
national income and their anti-prote
. ton views.
The imposition of small tax {
small incomes asks sacrifice fro
our patriotic citizens that they "
be willing to make if our politician
y have the courage to impose it al
explain the imperative necessity.
The payment of tax, howev
small, makes a man better citize
q To assume that the plain people a
unwilling TO pay increased taxes
case of national need is to distru
them and to ascribe to them the 10
!, est motive for political action.
n Let us exclude politics from Il
!. question of preparedness. Let us 8
O cept the cost. Let us insist that CO
a gress and the administration mantle
% the courage to incur the odium of u
# thinking and unpatriotic men wi
a would resent contributing to such
"A cause. Let us insist that the congre
:. and the administration shall defer
the judgment of real expert naval a
arhmy officers and boards as to he
we should prepare and shall not allC
:, the dangerous little knowledge
committee chairmen and civilian pc
>, ticians, ignorant of our needs, to
= struct the work of proper national
- Tense"