Daily Kennebec journal., 1916-02-01

PROPOSALS which have been made to Con-
gress. Even that arch-Democrat, Thom-
as jefferson, believed that there ought
to be compulsory military training for the
adult men of the nation, because he be-
lieved, as every true believer in democ-
| racy believes, that it is upon the volun-
| tary action of the men of great nation
like this that it must depend for it's mil
| itary force.
| There is another misapprehension
that / want to remove from your
minds. Don't think that l have come
to talk to you about these things be-
cause l doubt whether they are going
to be done or not-I don't doubt it for
moment-but believe that when
great things Of this sort are going to
be done the people of this country
are entitled to know just what is being
done. l am not trying to convert you
to anything, because l know in your
hearts you are converted already. But
! I want you to know the motive and
| the character of what is proposed in
! order that we should have only one
attitude and counsel with regard to
| this great matter.
Making money Our OF u
1T is being very sedulously spread
abroad in this country that the i'm
pulses back Of all this is the desire
Of the men who make the materials
of war to get money out Of the treas
ury of the United States. l wish the
people that say that could see meet
ings like this. Did you come here for
that purpose: Did you come here be-
cause you were interested to see some
of your fellow citizens make money
out of the present situation? OF
course you did not. l am ready to
Iadmit that probably the equipment of
those men whom we are training will
have to be bought from somebody;
and l know that if the equipment is
bought it will have to be paid for, and
| dare say that somebody will make
some money out of it.
1T is also true that there are men
now, great many men in the bellig-
erent countries, who are growing rich
out of the sale of the materials need
ed by the armies of those countries
If the government itself does not man
ufacture everything that an army
needs, somebody has got to make
money out Of it. and | for my part
have been urging the Congress of the
United States to make the necessary
preparations by which the government
can manufacture armor plate and muu-
nitions. So that, being in the busl-
ness itself and having the ability to
manufacture all that it needs if it is
put upon business arrangements it
can at any rate keep the price that it
pays within a moderate and reason
able limit.
Not Money. Making Agitation
The government of the United States
Is not going to be imposed upon by
, anybody and you may rest assured,
therefore, that while believe you pre-
fer that private capital and private in
itiative should bestir themselves in
these matters, you will nevertheless be-
lieve that it also is possible and I as
, sure you that it is most likely. t.At tho
government Of the United States will
, have adequae means of controlling this
! matter very thoroughly indeed Let
, nobody make you suppose that this is
, a money making agitation.
Now, there is another misapprehen-
! sion that l do not wish you to enter
, tain. Don't suppose that there is any
new sudden or recent inadequacy on
the part this government with re-
, spect to preparation for national de-
fense.
Il have heard some gentlemen say
that we have no coast defenses worth
5 talking about because defenses are not
nowadays advertised. The coast de-
fenses of the United States while not
numerous enough are equipped in the
most modern and efficient fashion.
/ You are told that there has been
/ some sort of neglect about the navy
v There has not been any sort of neglect
v about the navy. We have been slowly
e building up d navy which, in quality is
: second to no navy in the world anG
the only thing 1t lacks is quantity.
Regarding Navy
we have been slowly building up a
, navy which in quality is second to nc
, navy in the world. The only thing il
, lacks is quantity. In size is the fourth
navy in the world though l have heard
! | it said by some gentlemen in this very
r region that it was the second. In fight
] ing force though not in quality it is
, reckoned by experts to be the fourtl
: in rank in the world and yet when
| | go on board those ships and see theil
| equipment and talk with their officers
I suspect that they could give an &C
4 count of themselves which would raise
4 them above the fourth class. ut re
v minds me Of that very quaint salins
: of the old darky preacher The Lore
says unto Moses Come Fourth anC
he came Fifth and lost the race'.)
But l think this navy would no
= come fourth in the race.
S What We are proposing now is no
y sudden creation of navy for we hav,
d splendid navy, but the definite work
It ing out Of program by which within
# five years we will bring the navy to
e fighting strength which otherwise Nigh
Il have taken eight or ten years; alon.
s exactly the same lines Of development
l. / that may have been followed dilgentl,
It and intelligently for at least a decad
Il past. There is no sudden panic ther
is no sudden change of plans. All tina
d has happened is that We now see tina
e we ought more rapidly and more thor
q oughly than ever before to do the thing!
It which have always been characteristic