The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1916-01-27
Home Industries Should Be
Strengthened as Part Of
the National Defense.

Strengthened as Part Of
the National Defense.
Following is the speech delivered
Tuesday in Congress by James R.
Mann, Republican leader Of the
House of Representatives., on prepar-
edness:
Mr.. Speaker, in the quietude Of my
garden last summer and autumn |
reached certain conclusions which ]
have hesitated to express, thinking
that / might modify them. But as
time has gone on and events have oc-
Cured, 1t has seemed to me more
certain that my conclusions were
right than even when l first reached
them, and l think, in Justice, to my
self, and l hope with some slight
benefit to the country, l ought to ex-
press those conclusions to the House.
It is well known in the House that
I never have been a believer in a largo
standing army, and I suppose. that !
have been probably properly classed
in what is sometimes referred to as
the little navy man." But wise
men ought to be able to peer, maybe
indistinctly, into the future, and to
prepare today for what may come to-
morrow. The world is in the most
anomalous condition which mankind
has ever seen. The greatest struggle
Of all the ages is going on now be-
tween the most powerful forces OF
the human race, between great ma
lions and combinations Of nations,
until we are the only large, powerful
nation not yet involved in that strug-
gle. 1t is a breakup in the world,
each side not merely fighting for Its
own existence, as it believes, but,
as 1t seems to me, each side Is fight
ing with the determination to put
the other side. as 1t were, out OF
business: We have never had such a
thing in the world before, with the
same. powerful Influences at work.
The laws Of civilization. interna-
tional laws, the laws Of humanity,
are usually disregarded, at least
more or less, when two great forces
are fighting for mastery. With two
men fighting, each believing that he
Is fighting for his life, each determine
ed to take the life Of the other,
neither pays much attention to the
desires, the requests or the demands
Of some less powerful person not en-
gagged In the conflict.
/ do not know, and no one knows,
what will result from the present
war. No one knows whether the ag-
erosion Of one side or the other
against II interests, many passibly,
against our desires and contrary to
our wishes now, finally lead US, per-
haps not into this struggle but into
some struggle which is the outcome
Of this one. I doubt whether 9 paper
preace between the two struggling
parties now, even If it could be en-
tered into, would be even the begin
ming OF the end. 1 think the present
conflict is likely to last for many
years before It is definitely deter
mined either that n side or the 9TH
or ia the master or that neither can
become the master. And it seems to
me that tho part Of wisdom for US Is
to fairly prepare ourselves for any
possible trouble which may come.
loud applause.)
It may be that we will have no
trouble. ! hope not. In this war !
am neutral. l think we ought to
maintain reace at all hazards. And
vet the time may come when we will
not have the determination whether
we can maintain peace or not, Pc
cause. however much we may desire
peace, 1t. is. not within u power,
with the feelings which we have, to
stand aggression too far. twill be
expensive to prepare for peace. Two
years ago a billion dollars seemed a
very large sum o. money. No one
would have believed two years ago
that either England or Germany
could carry on a war at the expense
already involved. amounting to bill
lions Of dollars, an expense SO great
that the interest on the indebtedness
would be sufficient ordinarily to
maintain the government work, And
the end Of that indebtedness Is not
ii sight. What may come out OF
such immense burdens Of debt In
these countries, even when peace
may be declared, no one can tell.
Revolutions are not improbable. and
revolutions in the history Of the
world have usually led to aggression
and disputes. and often to war with
other countries. We. can better. af-
ford today to spend hundreds of mil
lions of dollars, or a few billions Of
dollars, in ample preparation for
trouble, and avoid II, II possible, than
we can to wait for trouble and then
spend untold billions before we are