The Delta independent., 1916-10-27

Denver. Colo. Oct. 25.-Speaking be
fore a crowd of $1,000 Colorado men
and women. which filled Denver's i'm
mense Auditorium to overflowing.
Colonel Roosevelt last night added an
other biting chapter to the record Of
his Indictment of Woodrow Wilson
and the Democratic administration.
His speech followed one of the most
stirring political demonstrations Colo
RADIO has ever known
lie said;
speak to you especially OF the
prime duty OF salf- defense. I abhor un-
just and wanton war. / shall always
do. as 1 always have done. everything
TO secure honorable and lasting peace.
But II is folly 20 say that we shall new
er be engaged in war. The events OF
the past two years show that as the
world now be-, such an assumption by
any nation is not only folly. but crim-
iual folly Washingtou VINO was the
very opposite Of the paclfisfs Of his
day. said that this country could not
expect always to avoid war. Ills words
were true then. They are true now. II
this nation continues Its national eN-
iHtcuce long enough 1t is ssrc az some
time la tho future to be involved Ia
war exactly as at times In the past IT
haas been involved In war our prime
duty is 80 to prepare as to minimize tho
number OF occasions whtn war win
come and to ensure that when II does
come it shall result neither dishonor-
ably nor disastrously for the American
people. Al this moRent we are not
ready in any way. physically or splritu-
ally. to face n serious foe. We owe this
lamcntabie fact to several causes but
especially to the cvil leadership given
our people in high places. MIR. Wilson
has not .niy bee" sos proud to fiEht.
hut has also been too proud 10 prepare.
The Army and Navy.
The people OF this country should
provide for n first-clnss navy. a navy
relative TO the other powers what our
navy was In February. 1903. when the
battle fleet returned from the cruise
around the world We should have
Hhort-service men. which would give
"A mobile army of 10000 or 100000 t.
deal with such oXigencles as that
which the f,vbiencHE Of our govern.
ment has brought about ON the Mexi-
can border at this moment And this
should bc only the beginning 4 free
n,sn must not merely hire Others 10 do
his fighting for him. " he Wishes per-
mancnty TO remain frecm"" he must
III himself to bEhf Tor hts own rights.
that i~. for his couptr,'s rights.
1 honor the National Gtsardsmcn who
are at the front They have the true
snldierly stuff in them. But the sys-
tenn under which they have been sent
is an atrocious one. and should hc
changed Mt once They have been
trickcd into going Into whnt they sup
posed was war ON behalf OF tho coun-
Try. WHOM they entered the militia
most OF them had no idea that they
would be conscrlpted they have
been Their sense OF honor has FOR
hidden them to refuse going. But they
should never have been sent FOR mere
police duty: for remember that, thnnh-
TO MIR. Wilson'S tame refusal 10 punish
the Mexican bandits, we now have
the border force OF American roi-
dirrs from ten to twenty times a- nu-
mrrous ms the bnndits across the bor-
deri and yet this force does nothing,
obliged to leave their wives and chill
dren to suffor actual want and who
have permanently injured their profos-
sional or business careers, or dcfinitc-
ly lost their Jobs, because they had To
20 to the front ana spend months
away from their business, away from
their homes. to make good the dnmace
done by the utter folly OF our rulers
In Washington.
Rulers tninterestcd.
These rulers In Washington wcr- not
really Interested In Preparedness. They
were not really Interested In thr de-
fcnsr OF their country. ThcN thpuZht
oni, of their own political fortunes in
give rs expert military Icgisintion.
They rRvr n- political military tcgl sin
tiani icgisintton dcsirncd to secure
votes neat November ut the cost of the
Hives of the gaIinnt officers md men OF
the regular army, ut the cost OF the
Hives Of the civilians. men, women nni
children on the border. and In Mcxicoi
aud Mt the cost Of the wcli-bcing OF
thousands of families OF National
cuRrJsmcn who Ind themselves brcn
sent to the Mexican border. The Irgis-
intion of the Inst session should he re-
prnicd and the work OF prcpR rrdncss
See thnt your representatives vote
for large and efficient navy and a
small but efficient regular army. But
always remember that In "A free dcmoc-
racy no man should have the right to
vote In tho civii affairs of the country
~ he does not perform all the duties
required by the. country. not only in
peace, but In war; and he cannot per
form these duties In time OF war unless
he fits himself to perform them, un-
loss he trains himself to- perform them
in time OF peace. believe In universal
military obligatory training of nil our
young men In time of pence, and. In
time Of war. In universal military scrv-
Ice for every n,nn ana every womnu In
whntever position II Il deemed TINT
man woman cnu best render such
service to the nntton.
Brokcn Heed.
The mobilization OF the militia on
the border has proved that the FEEDER,
from the standpoint OF National Pre-
parcdncss, and represents no adequate
national strength either to ropel sud
fonse warfare. The nmiabie pacifist
who wnH chosen by Mr.. Wilson. with
his usual exquisite sense of entire mil
uary unfitncss To be Secretary OF War.
prattied with Brynn-lilSc chccrfulness
about how 'vmohi izations take place