The Washington times., 1916-01-22
Navy Should Be Second in Point
Of Efficiency and Size, He
Says.
ARMY OF 100000 AT ONCE
Calls Administration Proposal
Only Shadow Program and
Not Substantial.

Col Theodore Roosevelt. in q copy
rixhted article in the Metropolitan
MaKazine for FEBRUARY, outlines "the
two immediately vital needs" to be
met by tho nation to prepare itself
against war. These needs. he says,
are:
First, that our navy shall at the
earliest possible m onent be made the
second in the world in point OF size
| and efficiency.
Second, that our regular army shall
| be increased to at least quarter OF
| million men, with an ample reserve
| OF men who could be at once put In
| the ranks in the event of sudden at
tack upon us, and provision made for
inany times the present numbcr OF
| officers"
Only Shadow Program.
Neither Of these needs, Colonel
| Roosevelt declares is in any way met
| by the Administration proposals.
| Instead of a real and substantial plan
for defense, the Administration, he
says. has presented merely a shadow
program.
With reference to the naval pro-
gram, Colonel Roosevelt says:
| The Administration now proposes a
| plan, to be followed mainly by the next
Administration. which. IL hereafter lived
up to. would nominally replace the navy
| where II formerly was in Ave years
time and really not until ten years have
passed-a plan which in reality, there
fore. Is merely an adroit method OF
avoiding substantial action In the pres
no policy OF adroit delay and make-be-
lieve action. Our Government should
make provision this year which will in
sure the regainins of our naval place at
the earliest possible moment. The work
| should begin oil a large scale at once
| This is of the first Importance.
Size of Army.
| Colonel Roosevelt believes the United
| States army should consist OF 250.o00
regulars Relatively to the nation this
army would be no larger than the New
York police force lie relatively to tho
city Of New York, Mr Roosevelt points
out. He continued:
| "On paper our present strength is
100000, and we have in the United States
a mobile army OF only 5000 men We
need 1000 more men adequately to man
our coast defenses at home, and 5000
additional Adequately 10 man those
abroad. We need 20.0o0 additional men
to provide an adequate mobile army for
meeting an attack on our overseas pos
sessions. At home We should have a
suarantee US against having Now York
or San Francisco at once seized by any
biz military nation which vent to war
with us < quarter OF a million in the
insure our safety from sudden attack.
In addition we must provide backing
| for this regular army. Provide real
reserve OF enlisted men. Provide as
| together, as will enable US TO officer
million and half Of men in the event
OF war. Meanwhile DO everything pos
sble for the national guard, providing
It really efficient and provide for many
training camps like that al Plattshurg.
OF Prime Importance.
Drop the undemocratic continental
volunteer army which discrlminates be-
tween employer and employed. which
would help the unpatriotc employer
who refused to do as his patriotic rival
was glad to do. and which would re-
suit merely in the establishment OF an
inefficient rival TO the national guard.
Provide an adequate reserve of war
materisl-this is Of prime importance.
| Aid in making permanent the great
munitions plants Of every Kind and get
| them placed west of the Aleghenics
| and let the government both encourage
and control them in their own interest.
| and in the interests of the public And
steadily remember that ample material
is useless unless we prepare In advance
the highly trained personnel to handle It,
We need plenty of the best aeroplanes ;
and therefore we need a trained corps
! OF aviators. This applies all the way
through from battle cruisers and sub
marines to coast guns and field artil
The poltroon and the pacihst are
out Of place in democracy" Col.
Roosevelt adted. THE man fit for self
Sovernment must be At to hght for
self government
Criticizes Pacifists.
The Roosevelt article bristles with
criticism Of the pacifists and of the
Wilson administration. Some of his
chara ct eristic utterances are:
Foolish people say the Monroe Doc
trine Is outworn. To abandon the Mon
roe Doctrine would be to invite over
Whelming disaster.
Probably there is not in all Belgium
a man, woman or a child over six
years old, who would consider the ar
guments Of these pacifists against pre-
paredness. in China, however, among
elderly msndarins OF unusually con-
servative type. 1t is possible that they
would be taken seriously.
! The question Of expense is OF wholly
secondary Importance in a matter which
may well be OF life or death signii-
canoe to the nstion.
"The Administration. at this most
critical period OF our history. when our
people so need the light. has refused
to let them have the light BY forbidding
the professional officers TO discuss the
problems which they are especially