Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1915-11-12
The Presidents Plan,

opedklng TO thousand men gath
cred at the Manhattan club in New
York city last Friday night, but in
reality speaking 10 the people of the
nation, President Wilson opened his
campaign for the adoption by con-
gress of his program for national de-
Tense and, merely to make sure of
our own security" called for an in
crease in the standing army and the
development within the next three
years of 100000 citizen soldiery,
$4,000 of this number to be enlist
ed annually. This force of fighting
men, taken away from their civilian
pursuits for only a brief training each
year, would supplement and work in
cooperation with, he said, the regu-
lar army and National Guard. And
likewise, calling the navy the first
line of defense, he argued for speed
ing of it's growth, but made a partic-
ular point of the need of sufficient
arms and munitions and, above all, a
mobilization of the country's re-
sources.
Adopting anything but an impe-
rious tone, the president called upon
men ''of all shades of political opin-
ion" to assist him in preparing Amer
ica-he called it "our own dear coun-
try"-not for war, "but only for de-
fense." Applause greeted nearly
every sentence of his speech, but
cheers and flag waving interrupted
this passage:
'If men differ with me in this
vital matter l shall ask them to
make it clear how far and in what
way they are interested in max
ing the permanent interests of
the country safe against disturb
ance."
The real demonstration, however,
came when in treating of a subject
annoying to him-the outcrying of
the hyphenated Americans-Mr. Will
son solemnly declared that if occa-
sion required, the real voice of Amer
ica-a united America-would speak
in tones which no man can doubt
and with commands which no man
dare gainsay or resist"
Toward the end of his address,
when the president asserted that
men who love other countries better
than they love America" should be
"called to a reckoning" the entire as
semblage arose and with cheering and
applause and hand waving indicated
its vociferous approval. This demon
stration was almost outrivalled by
that which followed his plea for a
doing away with racial and religious
feeling"
Asserting that ''if we have had ag-
gressive purposes and covetOus ambi-
lions, they were the fruit of our
thoughtless youth as nation and we
have put them aside," the president
declared:
No More COnquests.
1--WE shall, confidently believe,
never again take another foot of ter
ritory by conquest. We shall never
in any circumstances seek to make
an Independent people subject to our
dominion; because we believe, We
passionately believe, in the right of
every people to choose their own al
legiance and be free of masters alto
gether."
Then, launching into discussion
of his defense program, he said:
within a year we have witnessed
what we did not believe possible
great European conflict involving
many of the greatest nations of the
world. The influences of a great war
are everywhere in the air. All Europe
is embattled. Force everywhere
speaks out with loud and imperious
voice in a titanic struggle of govern
ments, and from one end of our own
dear country to the other men are
asking one another what our own
force is, how far we are prepared to
maintain ourselves against any inter-
ference with our national action or
development.
"In no mans mind, am sure, is
there even raised the question of the
wilful use of force on our part against
any nation or any people. No matter
what military or naval force the
United States might develop. states
men throughout the whole world
might rest assured that we were gath
ering that force, not for attack in any
quarter, not for aggression of any
kind, not for the satisfaction of any