The Washington times., 1915-11-05
PRESIDENT: s
DEFENSE PLAN
BEFORE. E..NATION
Administration Waits for coun.
tY's Response to Manhat.
tan Club Speech.

OF the. Governments military policy.
The Address constitutes the real opening
OF the campaign by the Administration
to carry Into execution q comprehensive
program of national defense.
President Wilson's plans are before
the nation today. Having launched his
program for national preparedness. he
and his closest advisers are waiting to
hear from the country.
From tho ''paciacists" assaults In
force are almost certain TO be made,
Il 10 believed. The Administration ex-
poets sharp shafts OF criticism to be
directed against the Presidents pro-
posal for q citizen army and for navy
increases.
On the other hand the Presidents .
friends hope for the approval Of the
majority Of American citisens for = citi-
zen army Of +0o. .ooO and q slight increase
in the regular army.
The Presidents Speech.
President Wilson spoke as follows:
Mr.. Toastmaster and gentlemen:
| Il warmly felicitate the club upon
the completion OF fifty years Of sue
may be made to mean great deal to
those who know how to use II. have
no doubt that to = great many OF you
has come genuine stimulation In the
the years have multiplied you have seen
more and more the useful ends which
may be served by organizations OF this
sort.
but 1 have not come TO speak
wholly Of that. FOR there are Others
! OF your own members who can speak OF
the club with a knowlege and an In
teiligence which no one can have who
/ m ~ han i,tt tv,.at tSit ntaf fah vavtth
IT, Men band themselves together for
the sake Of the association no doubt,
but also for something greater and
deeper than that-because they are
| conscious of 'ommon interests lying
outside their business occupations. be-
cause they are members of the same
, community. and In frequent Intercourse
hnd mutual stimulation and real
Must Turn To War.
Il shall assume that here around
the dinner table on this memorial oc-
casion our talk should properly turn
to the wide and common interests
which are most In our thoughts.
whether they be the interests of the
community or of the nation.
"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
10 their solution with diligence. Arm
standing we mud ourselves in the
midst Of q world disturbed by great
disaster and ablaze with terrible war
but our thought IL now inevitably Of
we gave ourselveB little concern.
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 po-
lltical relations. our duties as an in
dividual and independent force in
the world to ourselves, our neigh
bors, and the world itself.
American Principles.
our principles are well known. II
Is not necessary to avow them again
We believe In political liberty. ant
founded our great Government to OBJ
tain It. the liberty Of men and of peo
ples-of men to choose their own iivci
and OF peoples to- choose their own al
legisnce.
. Our ambition. also. all the world ha,
and prosperous ourselves, but also I,
be the friend and thoughtful partisan
Of those who are free or who desir'
freedom the world over. II we hav'
, had aggressive purposes and covetou
thoughtless youth as q nation. and W,
: have put them aside.
we shall. l confidently believe. neve
again take another foot of territory b!
cumstances seek to mako an independ
: ent people subject to our donlDion; be
| cause we believe. We passionately be
lieve, In the right Of every people 4
choose their own allegiance and be fre
1 OF masters altogether.
: Liberty For All. :
! For ourselves. we wish nothing bu
the full liberty Of self-development
: and with ourselves In this great matte
. we associate all the peoples of our owl
\ hemisphere. We wish not only for tn
1 United States, but for them the fulles
, freedom OF Independent growth and o
! action. for We know that throughou
I this hemisphere the same aspiration
= der diverse conditions. but with tn
q same IMPULSE and ultimate object.
"All this II very clear to us and will
i confidently predict become more an
e more clear to the whole world as tn
great processes Of the future upfol
themselves 1t Is with q full conscious
a ness Of such principles and such ambl
tions that we are asking ourselves a
: the present time what our duty is wit
I regard to the armed force Of the natior
Il Wltnln u ycdT We nave WltHSsSo
Q what we did not believe possible
I great European conflict involving man
y, OF the greatest nations Of the worlt
d The influences of a great war are every
= where In the air, All Europe is emba'
tied. Force everywhere speaks out wit
Q a loud and imperious Voice in titani
7 struggle OF governments. and from on
end OF our own dear country to IN
i other men are asking one another wha
h our own force is how far we are PR
pared to maintain ourselves against an
! interference with our national action c
i developmant.
i "Not For Aggression"
! TN no mans mind. am sure,
there even raised the question OF Il
. wiliful use Of force on our part AGAIN.
:. any nation or any people. No matt
7. what military or naval force II
-. United states might develop, state
" men throughout the whole world migl
rest assured that we were gathertr
that force. not for attack In ar
quarter, not for aggression of any kin
not for the satisfaction Of any polit
cal or international ambition. b.
merely to make sure of our own a
curity. We have 1t In mind to be pr
pared, but not for war. but only Il
"a defense: and with the thought col
ir stantly In our minds that the principle
IA we hold most dear can be achieve
q by the slow processes Of history on
r. in the kindly and wholesome a
h mosphere OF peace, and not by the VI