Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-08-29
COLONEL TAKES ISSUE
WITH SECRETARY OF WAR
Former President Gives Out State
ment in Oyster Bay in
Reply to Garrison.
REFERS TO UNDERGRADUATES
Declares President Is Fully Respon-
sible for Acts Of His Cabinet Mem
bers--Points Out Incidents That
Occurred During His Reign.
Especial to The Times-Dispat ch. ]

I Especial to The Times Dispntch.l
| NEW YORK. August 2S.-Colonel
| Theodore Roosevelt issued the follow
ing statement from his home in Oyster
! Bay Tonight:
Mr.. Garrison now wishes to dis
associate himself from the administra-
tAon. He Is the servant OF the Presi-
dent. just as is Mr.. Daniels. Each
says and does what the President au-
thorizes him to do or say. and the
President is fully responsible for both.
IF Mr.. Garrison does not object to
the plea made for preparedness in
the Plattsburg speech, then l can only
gather that he does object to my pro-
! test OF hyphenated Americanism. Tor
the speech was practically confined
| to these two subjects, except for the
very brief allusion to our failure to
take effective action to stop the MUIR
der of our men and women in Mexico
and on the high seas.
Let Mr. Garrison be concrete He
says that he will go as far as will
for prepar edness. ! assume. therefore,
that he heartily backs up my propo-
sails for universal military service. II
so. heartily congratulate him and
assure him his position is proper.
Il said also that for thirteen months
We had failed in any way to prepare
Does Mr.. Garrison deny this? Does
he deny that President Wilson'S mes
sage to Congress last December was
an elaborate plea against such pre-
paredness? II MIR. Garrison does deny
this, then he must use words without
relation to their real meaning.
Again. Mr.. Garrison In his conclud-
Ing sentence, says that my idea Is that
our present state Of unpreparedness
makes 1t desirable that We should go
TO war with four or five different ma
tons
II challenge Mr. Garrison to give one
quotation from anything that I have
ever written or spoken. in which
advocate going to war with four or
five different nations. or In which
have ever advocated going to war Mt
all. because OF our unpreparedness. He
knows that I never said anything of
the kind and he would do we'll here
after to attempt to be at least approx
mRtely exact when he purports to quote
what / say or to express my feelings
"As Mr.. Garrison Is engaged In an
attack on people, l will point out to
him one or two things he can himself
AFFORD to explain. During the term
was President. seven and a half
years, not one shot was fred by any
American soldier or sailor against any
foreign foe, nor was AN American SOL
der or sailor killed by any foreign
foe.
TWO SMALL. WARS
wAGED ny WILSON
During the time that Messrs Gar
rison and Daniels have served In the
Cabinet of President Wilson. less than
three years. President Wilson has
waged two small wars-one with Mex
leo and one with Haiti
II care for facts. not names, and if
President Wilson and Messrs. Daniels
and Garrison prefer that l shall say
that they waged peace with Haiti.
am perfectly contented to submit their
expression. But while President Will
son was thus waging peace, a score or
two Of American soldiers and sailors
or marines have been killed and
wounded at Vera Cruz. and on our own
soil along tho Mexican border and at
Haiti
Docs Mr.. Garrison deny this? Does
he deny that our ships and marines
bomharded and took Vera Cruz for the
purpose OF having our flag saluted, that
we lost a score of American lives and
caused the loss OF several scores of
Mexican lives and then came home
without getting the salute?
Does he call this war or does he call
it peace? Does he regard the results ms
successful or unsuccessful? Unless he
uses language merely to conceal or per-
vert thought. no must state that this
was small and ignoble war with Mex
leo. and that tho result Of it was that
we failed to accomplish what we had
said that we intended to accomplish.
and ANONYMOUSLY treated from Vera
Cruz
las for advocating war with four or
five different nations because we are
unprepared so far is this from being
the facts. that have pointed out, that
~ we had acted properly in Mexico.
there would in all human probability
never have been an American shin
sunk or single American man, woman
or child murdered on the high seas by
Germany.
weakness and timidity inspire con-
tempt; and contempt is OF all sensations
the one most undesirable to inspire in
an opponent.
- 'hh'eeH months ago Steps had
been taken to bring our army and
navy up 10 the highest point Of eff
cheney. and If we had acted promptly
and effectively to prevent outrages
upon our citizens In Mexico, neither tho
Falaba nor the Gulnight would have
been attacked. nor would our men. wo
men and children have been murdered
on the Lusitania and Arabic.
AT tines within the last two years
the administration. OF which Mr.. Gar
rison Is part, has sent to Mexico, as
well g to Germany, what any man, ac-
customed to make good words by deeds.
would regard rs ultimatums. In tho
case OF this administration, the ultima
tum has usually been followed by
pen -ultimatum and then by ante-pen-
ultimatum and so on in the diminish
Ing progression.
Does Mr.. Garrison realize that IL our
notifications to Mexico are to be taken
at their face value. we should bring
our regular army up to it's fullest pos