Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-09-03
DANIELS AND GARRISON
WILL REPORT TO WILSON
AT Work for More Than Month on
Programs Asked For by
President.
BUILD UP NATIONAL DEFENSE
Secretaries Formulate Recommended
tons, Which Will BE Transmitted
to Executive for Use in Preparing
His Message to Congress.

! WASHINGTON, September o-Pres
dent Wilson tonight made public let
'ers he wrote to Secretaries Garrison
and Daniels last month asking them
to formulate for him definite programs
| for trengthening the national de-
; fenses that he might make recommen-
! dations in his next message to Con-
| gross.
| The secretaries have been at work
, on the reports for more than a month,
, and now have them virtually COM
| pletcd. AS soon rs they arc submitted
| the President will discuss them with
the chairmen of the Military and Naval
Affairs Committees OF Congress.
Tho letter of Secretary Daniels reads:
Il have been giving, as ] am sure
YOU have also, great deal Of thought
10 the matter of a wise and adequate
naval program to be proposed to the
Congress at its next session, and I
, would like to discuss the whole sub
Ject with YOU at the earliest possible
date.
But first we must have professional
advice. l would be very much obliged
If YOU would get the best minds in the
department TO work on the subject: I
mean the men who have been most
directly in contact with actual modern
conditions, who have most thoroughly
comprehrndcd the altered conditions Of
naval warfare, and who best compre-
mend what the navy must he in tho
future IN order to stand upon an
equality with tho most efficient and
most practically serviceahlc. / want
their advice, program by them formu-
lated In the most definite terms
whether We can reasonably propose
the whole of it to the Congress i'm
mediately or not we can determine
when we have studied it, The i'm
portant thing now is to know. and
know fully, what we need Congress
VIII certainly welcome such advice and
follow il to the limit OF it's opportunity.
1T should be program planned for
consistent and progressive develop
mcnt OF this great defensive arm of
the nation, and should be of such
kind as 10 commend itself TO every
patriotic and practical man"
ALSO ASKS GARRISON
TO PREPARE PROGRAM
To Secretary Garrison the President
wrote:
Il have been giving scarcely less
thought than you yourself have to
the question of adequate preparation
for national defense. and | am anx-
ious. as you know, to incorporate in
my next message to Congress "a pro-
gram regarding the development and
equipment Of the army and proper
training OF our citizens to arms which,
while in every way. consistent with
our tradition and our national policy
viii be Of such a character as TO com
mend itself to every patriotic and
practical mind
II know that you have been much
in conference with your professional
associates in the department, and that
you have yourself come 10 some very
definite conclusions on these exceed
!ngiy important matters. | would be
very much obliged If you would be
Kind enough 70 prepare for me pro-
gram, with estimates. OF what you
and the bcst-!nformcd soldiers In your
c@uEseis thinh tho country ought 70
undertake to do. should like 10 dis
Gus. this program with you At as carly
n time as II can bc mad. ready"
The following telegram from John
Hays Hammond president Of the Ma
tional League OF Republican Clubs vas
made public tonight by Secretary Gar
rison:
Regardless Of politics. the people are
behind you in the important work you
are so ably doing for our national de-
Tense. Any suspicion as TO your in
tcEri'E Of purpose is entertained only
hy shallow minds and by contcmptiblc
politicians whose wish is father to the
thoughts II viii prove 10 De political
suicide 10 so-callcd leaders Of the Re
publican party II they do not cordially
CO. operate with The administration in
The matter Of national defense"