New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-02-01
NAVY IS READY,
ASSERTS WILSON
Preparation Made for I'm
mediate War, He Tells
Chicago.
WARNS DELAY
MAY BE COSTLY
President Sure America Is
United. and Feels Sorry
for the Skeptics.
irron . s,ar corr-porden, n m. rrbun. J

AffN" NsHli ''IltTL|TNlflN NJ Ito AlUMIN
Chicago, Jan. 81 Convinced before
hand on preparedness, Chicago made
combination Of spectacle and a re-
ligious service out OF the Presidents
address here tonight Il was a deco
rous spectacle Society was there in
evening dress. with opera glasses lev
eiled at Mrs Wilson. and the floor and
the galleries represented well the va
rious strata Of the citys people There
was applause also decorous and
careful attention.
The United States has made prepare
tions for immediate war as far az the
navy Is concerned, although the pres
ent naval force IS inadequate in size,
President Wilson declared.
1--WE have given to the present feet
Of the United States an organization
such as il never had before, am told
by Admiral Fletcher the President
said. "and we have made preparation
for immediate war, so far as the navy
is concerned"
The Presidents speech was in keep
ing. 1t dwelt largely on idealsm. on
the need Of preparedness for protec-
tion Of Americas destiny of ideals, on
the growth and future Of those ideals.
IL repeated with detail and force the
heavy burdens laid on this country
toward the fighting nations. and the
heavy responsibility which Mr.. Wilson
himself has carried II complained Of
the foreign charges that commercial
ism has dictated his course, and en-
phasized that II is Americas duty to
keep out of the war for the sake of
the very people who are fighting.
Avoids Reading War Details.
I'VE must not let our thoughts be-
come involved so that we cannot think
separately" the President said at one
time. 81 myself have refrained from
reading the details; ! have wished TO
see things only in their larger aspects
and TO keep my mind concentrated on
America. her duties and her tasks
IL know that on the other side Of the
water there has been a great deal OF
misjudgment as TO the reasons for
Americas neutrality. They do not feel
the convictions Of America that her
mission is a mission of peace; that be-
hind all our wealth We are a body of
idealists, much more ready 10 lay down
our lives for thought than for a dol
lar. They believe that we have held
off because we thought that we can
make money while others are dying. IL
Is most cruel misjudgment-so wrong
that il seems almost hopeless 70 try 20
correct it, as it shows that the whole
fundamentals of our thought have been
misunderstood. We can better serve
the nations at war by holding Off than
IN any other way"
Strikes at War Element.
The President struck more directly
than before at those who have been
attempting to involve the country in
the war.
when ! see some of my fellow citi-
zens spread finder where the sparks
are falling, | wonder what their ideal
of Americanism is" he declared.
DO you realize the peculiar diff
culties Of the situation in which your
Executive is placed?" he asked. and
again told of the conflicting demands
from the country that he defend the
nations honor and at the same time
keep it out of war. He told how every
violation of international law hits di-
rectly at the United States, and how,
Notwithstanding, it had been necessary
to observe the technical limits"
Though you know the feeling is just
as great whether the rights Of our IN
dividual citizens are injured or not"
A plea for -partisanship, which
has been one of the features of the
Presidents speeches, was omitted TO-
night, and, possibly because he had
forgotten that, Mr.. Wilson made the
question of the strength Of the navy
distinctly partisan for once. He start
ed in to praise the navy, and digtessed
to compare the amount that has been
done for it under his administration
and under previous ones. The question