The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-10-18

To the average voter one of the most misleading issues of the presi- dential campaign which is being put out by the Republican party Is that of preparedness. And this issue should be carefully studied by pro gressive voters especially, who may have been swerved toward the Re- publican candidate for the residency, Charles Evans Hughes, through its efficacy. In this article, I shall en- deavor to present proof that both MT, Hughes and MT. Roosevelt are mis- leading the public at large when they attempt to place the blame for our unprepared condition upon the shoul- ders of resident Woodrow Wilson, I shall do this by quoting statistics in which I shall compare the increase in our army and navy under the Re publican administration of President Roosevelt, President Taft and Presi- dent Wilson. I shall also call atten- ton to the percentages of reserve munitions under four administrations, three of them Republican and one of them Democratic.
 We will take up the navy first. In the last four years of the Roosevelt administration 987 midshipmen were appointed to the United States Naval academy, while under the four years of President Taft 945 men were ap- pointed, and this number will be greatly increased before the end of Wilson's administration. There was authorized by law under the Roose- welt administration. in 1905, an enlist ment of 37,000 men in the navy, and under the same administration fin 1908 this number was increased to A, 4,5o0. Under the Taft regime, in 1909, the number of enlisted men was 44,5O0, and in 1912, 51,500. Under Wilson in 1916, the authorized enlist ments were 7s,064, and the Presi- dent has authority to increase this number to 87,000. which means an in crease over the last Republican ad- ministration by the Wilson admins tration of S5,500 men.
 The navy yard increase of em- ployes from June l, 1913, to July 1, 1916, was 7,4s5 men, The figures for 1913 were, 16,898 men, and for 1916, 24,383. The daily pay of such employees in 1912, under Taft, was s46,027.35. In 1916 these figures have been augmented by an increase of $27,s63.77, the total daily pay being $73,091.12. Despite these figures, however, and in the face of the fact that the Democratic party has not yet been in power four years, both MT. Roosevelt and MT. Hughes have the audacity to go before the country with the claim that the Wilson ad- ministraton is responsible for our ung- prepared condition. But these are only a few of the instances in which the Wilson administration has made toward the better efficiency of the navy as a means of national defense.
 Under President Mckinley and President Roosevelt, from 1901 to the ending of the latter's administration in 1904 the total cost of war ves- sells authorized by congress was as follows: Under Mckinley and Roose- welt, $107,006,642; under Roosevelt. $Ss,192,ssS; under the Taft admins tration, $127,74T,113; under the Will son administration, $655, 5,289,s06. Thus the total figures under three Repub- ncan administrations are: $S17.946,- 693. Which means that for prepar- edness in the navy branch of defense the Wilson administration has author ized warships whose valuation in money is nearly as much as that of three Republican administrations combined. Yet what do we see? MT. Hughes, Mir. Roosevelt, the universal Republican press and every Repub- 1ican campaign branch in all of their endeavoring to blind the people as to the real truth in regard to the preparedness issue. And worse than this, in the overwhelming major ity of Republican newspapers, not only do we find the enemies of President Wilson condemning him for the coun- try's unprepared state, but in the next breath, even in the same issues of such papers, we also find them con- demning him for the great expendi-