The sun., 1916-01-21
Colonel Roosevelt on the Larger
Am merlcan nlsm.

Am erlcanlsm.
What Colonel ROOSEVELT really
meant by "the larger Americanism
iD his speech In Philadelphia last
night was preparedness in the mill.
tary sense. He broadened the scope
Of II to Include other things improve.
ment Of the American physique. un.
selfish patriotism. and greater fitness
for service In the industrial army Of
PEACE. Adopt II system Of universal
military trimming, he urged, and all
kinds Of blessings would flow from IT,
There could be no efficiency without
1t, no self-respect. no "valor Of right
.eousness." While he called for n
period Of self-searching' and said
let us find our SOULS" he added In
his we'll known style:
"a policy Of unprepsredne.s and OF
tame submission to insult and aggres-
Sion invites the kind OF repeated inso-
lence by foreign nations which in the
end will drive our people into war"
Much as Colonel ROOSEVELT detests
"frightfulness" as practised by the
Germans. he Is willing to learn from
them the lesson of efficiency in all
things. notably in preparedness for
war. This Is as 1t should be. pro-
vided American democracy does not
suffer. What Is done better In Ger
many than In America We should
ndopt. Colonel ROOSEVELT was no
doubt sincere when he said: Unless
we are tlOrOughgoing Americans. and
unless our patriotism is part nf the
very fibre Of our being. we can neither
serve Cop nor take our own part"
Yet II sounds very much like an nc.
ceptance Of the Con of the Kaiser
who confounds the enemy and re.
wards his bnttalions with victory.
This perhaps explains the valor of
righteousness"
II L. evident that the eX.PrSSident
acts on the theory that he must np.
peal to the emotions. even to ligious
feeling. as we'll as to pride and ira
dition, If he Is to persuade his audi.
cnces to embrace preparedness In the
military sense. He held II revival
meeting of patriotism in Philudel-
phia. He gave American democracy
II good shaking up. and we are in
ciined 10 think it was needed.
"a big efficient navy. small effi-
cient army tone of II quarter of
million of mem" plus the Swiss or
Australian system of training L. Colo
mel RoosE,kTT's plan Of prepared
ness. Secretary GARRIsoN's Cont.
mental army" he denounces as "aii
absurdity.' Temporarily it would
prove a rival of the National Guard,
for which the speaker had no word Of
approval. The continental army"
would not endure. or deserve to on.
dure. In his judgment the present
navy could not keep the sea against
even the japanese fleet. and the thing
TO do, 'if our Government really
means business" is to begin by treb-
ling the first year construction pro-
gramme of Secretary DANIELS and
rapidly accumulate battle cruisers,
light cruisers, destroycrs and subma-
rines as well as battleships. The ways
and means Colonel ROOSEVELT gives
no thought to. We should have train.
ing posts for mass of officers ready
10 lead our citizen armies in time of
need" and so on. The subject is too
big for him to digest. He waves
aside details.
, Should we really need the Swiss
or Australian system If we had Il reg
Nlar army Of 100000 men enlisted on
short terms and retiring to the re-
serve at the rate Of, say. S0,OD q
year? Should we need regular
army as large us 10000 men If we
adopted the Swiss or Australian sys-
ten, which would provide millions Of
embryo soldiers? Looking to the fu.
ture General LEONARD WOoD places
his main dependence upon II standing
army of 10000 and twice that num-
ber Of reserves, and in his testimony
before the Senate Committee on Mill.
tary Affairs he said that he would
give the militia the opportunity to
come into the Federal service" At
any rate, he thought there should be
Il Federal militia, General LEONARD
WOOD, while advocating resort to the
colleges and military schools for
extra officers. showed no marked on.
thusiasm for The Swiss or Austrn.
llan system.
II strikes us that General WOop is
more practical than Colonel Roosy.
WELT and understan nds the subject bet-
tar Tho (,nlnpol ,.lnA., la,