New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-11-02
ARM LIKE KAISER,
ROOSEVELT URGES
Immediate Increase of the
Navy and More Adequate
Army Advocated.
DEVELOP GERMAN
EFFICIENCY, HE SAYS
Ex.President In Letter Strongly
Indorses H. A. w. Woods
Stand for Preparedness.

Immediate increase of our navy 20
the rank Of second sea power in the
world and the development Of Ger
manic efficiency in all the branches
90 the government are advocated in a
letter by Colonel Theodore Roosevelt
10 Henry A. Wise Wood. chairman OF
the Conference Committee on National
Preparedness. The letter. which was
made public yesterday, was called
forth by an address delivered by MIR.
/ Wood before the Life Underwriters
Association. at the Hotel McAlpin, in
which he criticised the tentative plans
of Secretary Daniels and urged big
ger navy and more adequate army.
Colonel Roosevelt in his communica-
ton congratulates the speaker upon
/ the position he has taken in national
preparedness and lays stress upon the
{ fact that greater armament rs needed
/ TO uphold the dignity of the United
States as world power. The letter,
dated at Sycamore Hill, follows:
Dear Sir: wish to express my
/ hearty concurrence in the position you
have taken on national preparedness.
"You have finely phrased the atti-
tude this nation should take when
you say: Its first duty is TO its own
citizens, be they at home, abroad or on
the high seas. and to the strangers
within its gates; its second duty TO
! those peoples, however remote, Tor
whose welfare it is responsible; its
third duty to its neighbors, whose
proximity has made of them its init
mates; and it's fourth, and no less
1 duty TO the other peoples of the earth.
"You take the position which should
rs matter of course be taken by every
/ high minded and fsrseeing American
citizen when you say that;
( at is imperative that America
should acquire naval and military
strength sufficient
"'To protect its coasts against in
vasion.
"'To protect its Panama Canal.
"To protect its overseas possessions
"'To enforce the Monroe Doctrine.
"'To insure respect for the inalien-
able rights upon the high seas land in
/ foreign territory of it's citizens and
dependents. 49, :.
revocabe obligations the nation should
/ Immediately:
ENTER upon the construction Of o
navy which. in size and efficiency, shall
be such as speedily TO restore it to the
position it formerly held, of second
naval power in the world; and ampilty
its military strength so as to provide
an adequate mobile army as an incident
/ to providing the means for successfully
and Immediately resisting any expedi-
ton that any one Of the great military
nations may be capable Of putting on
our shores
"Our people are under obligation TO
you for having so clearly placed before
/ them their immediate duty. We must
ultimately organize ourselves, socially
ard for the work Of peace and for self
4 defence in war, with the extraordinary
efficiency that Germany has shown.
! thanks to the movement begun in Ger
many over a century ago in the days of
/ ScLsrnhorst and Stein, and with this
end in view 20 secure practical pre-
paredness against war by introducing
some adaptation Of the excellent Swiss
system of universal and obligatory
military service.
/ "The instant needs, however, are two.
| First we should at once enter upon a
comprehensive plan of naval construc-
ton, which shall at the earliest pos.
sible moment make US the second naval
power of the world. Second, we must
I insist upon the publication by the gov.
eminent OF the plans of the General
/ Staff of the army, so that the people
may know what their military experts
regard as the vital military needs of
! the Republic. Yours truly,
THEODORE ROOSEVELT"