Daily Kennebec journal., 1916-02-01

sober judgments ana not Als AHu1'}uooA
opinions and therefore it Is with the
feeling Of this responsibility upon me
that I have come to you tonisnt or
lave approached the other audiences
that / have had the privilege OF ad-
dressing upon this journey.
"Do YOU realize the peculiar difficult
tv Of the situation in which your ex-
ecutiye is placed? You have laid 1t
upon me not by implication but by ex-
plicity: it has come to me by means
Of every voice that has been vocal in
the United States; you have laid upon
me the double obligation Of maintaining
the honor Of the United States and of
maintaining the peace Of the United
States.
The Part Of U. S.
Look at the part that is assigned to
the United States, to assert the princl-
pies Of law in a world in which the prin-
ciples of law have broken down, not
the technical principles Of law, but the
essential principles Of right dealing and
humanity as between nation and ma
ton.
I'VE may have to assert these prlnci-
pies Of right and of humanity at any
time. What means are available? What
force is at the disposal Of the United
States to assert these things? The
force Of opinion? Opinion. l am sorry
to say, did not bring this war on, and
am afraid that opinion cannot stay
its progress.
1.-THE United States has never been
negligent Of it's navy despite what some
gentlemen may say: least Of all has II
been negligent in recent years. Three
years ago there were 1S2 vessels IN
commission. There are now 23s. Three
dreadnoughts and - subordinate craft
will be added within month or Two.
There have been added six thousand
capable sailors to the ranks of the en-
listed men. The Congress of the Uni
ted States in the last three years has
poured out more money than was pour
ed out on the average in any previous
wears of the history of the United
States for the maintenance and upbuild-
ing of the United states navy. 1t has
spent $4,000 900 year as contrasted
with a previous average of not more
than thirty-three and one-half million
dollars.
"All the subsidiary arms of the service
have been built up. Three years ago
there were four officers assigned to duty
connected with aviation. and they did not
have a single available-at any rate, use
able-craft in their service. Now there
are 81 airships, 11 commissioned ohcers,
a large number of on-commissioned OIL
GERS and a sufficient force of enlisted men
in the schools and practice camps at
Pensacola. And that is only the begin
ming because the 63d Congress the last
Congress, was the first to make an ap-
preparation for aviation in connection
with the navy. We have given to the
present fleet of the United States an or
ganization such as it never had before
I am told by Admiral Fletcher. and We
have made preparations for immediate
war so far as the navy is concerned.
1.-THE trouble is not with the quality OF
the organization of the existing navy. II
is merely that we have followed plans
piecemeal, a little bit at time, now II
this direction, now in that direction.
1--WE have never set ourselves definite
poal of eouipment and set our resolu
t,ons to attain that goal within reason
able length of time, and the plans III"
are being proposed to the present Coh
press and which the present congress
NIL, adopt. are plans to remedy this piece
,a., treatment of the navy and brlns
| to ,ts highest point of efficiency by stuo
| led nlans carried out from month u
month and year to year
at is going to cost a good deal OF mon
ev. and I find that the dlfhculty VIII
some members of Congress IS not VIVA
| ought TO be done about the navy! pu
what they are going to tax in order u
get the money. =,
II do not happen to be memoer "
Congress, but would be Wiling 10 3,
heYore any constituency in the cn'ee
| states in the confidence that thev "et'
| utl,;ne to pay for the defense OF .h'
! no+ions We are neither poor nor mig
o,rd,v We know how things cost an'
~. intend to nay for them. AND we
| An NOT intend to pay for them more thai
,hev are worth That is the matte'
which is troubling a good many peo
pie. =, +,;,
Eve have had some experience III 'i'i'
matter. The navy now makes |er1
| large proportion of its own po"oe'
| pepore il began it paid SO cents poui''
| Cor il and now it pays Sc cents "hlci
shows the very interesting erect Q
eovefnment competition upon the price
And so all along the line we mean ousi
pess and we are going to see that pusl
| ness characterizes the processes OF I'D
tional events We would not be Aher'
cans if we did not
Army Is Weak
"Rut what army have we avallaple
can tell YOU, because it has beeh ne
| oossary for us to take care OF the pa
trailing of the very long southern Dor
a.r hetween us and Mexico. that '"
h.ve not men enough in the Cnlte'
States army for the routine work o.
neace And the increase In the regu
lar armv that is being proposed TO TN
,resent Congress is intended only u
hiring the regular army up to an aoe
| oua+e neace establishment. L say ina
&c al, that is being proposed with re
card to the regular army. The ohlle'
states has never depended upon 'n
regular army to conduct its wars
has depended upon the volunteers
tho United states and it has never peel
a,sannointed in their numbers or II
their quality.
American Ideal
| ..ox, For bejnpy IN