The sun., 1916-01-21

WARRINGTON, Jan. 2O.--A demand LOT
universal military service as the only
solution Of thA national defence problem
was made the rallyipg cry to-day OF ad-
vocates of national preparedness ANAL
'gamated under the leadership Of the
National Security League. The demand
was formulated In a letter from Theo-
dore Roosevelt and by several speakers.
' Col. Roosevelt characterized the con.
tinen,al army plan prepared by the Ad.
ministration as a sham and an ineiii-
clent rival Of the National Guard.
"A paper programme" was the way
the Colonel described tho Wilson na-
tional defence plan.
"It Is a proposal said he. mot to do
something effective Immediately. but
to do something entirely Ineffective inn
mediately and to trust that the
lack will be made good in succeeding
years"
Frederic r, Coudert Of New York
decried the efforts Of the pacifists as
an attempt to "Chinafy the United
States and drew upon the European war
for illustration to show that the days OF
the professional army were over.
BY implication and direct reference
william j. Bryan ard the majority
leader OF the House Of Representatives.
Representative kitchin, were de-
noupccd Tor their opposition TO the pre-.
paredness programme Of President
Wilson
In his address opening the Congress
5, Stanwood Menken OF New York re-
ferrcd to the notorious inability Of the
Commoner for direct or hard thinking on
any grave matter" Secretary Daniels's
naval policy was described as weak and
ineffective.
Col. RoosevcIt's Letter.
Col. Roosevelt said in the letter
which he sent to the league
On February IL II will be year
since the time when we notified Germany
that In case any OF our citizens were
killed We would hold her to a strict ac-
countabilIty: and during these eleven
months the passenger ships sunk by Ger
man or Austrian submarines In defiance
OF our warning have included among 9TH
ers the Falsba. Lusitania. Arabic Hes
perian. Ancona. Yasaka. Vile de la
Ciotat and Persia. They were British.
Italian. Japanese and French. Many
hundreds OF Americans were among the
passengers and a couple OF hundred Of
these. including many women and chill
dren. were killed. The total deaths on
these ships since March last amount to
between 1000 and 2.l00. The campaign
against them has been a campaign of
sheer murder, on a vaster scale than any
INDUCED in u like time by any of the
old time pirates OF the Indian Ocean and
the Spanish Main.
Now. the total number OF lives Of
non-combatants, including many hun
dreds OF women and children, thus taken
exceeds many times over the aggregate
In all the sea fights Of the War of 1912
both on the American and on the British
side. II is over double the number OF
lives lost by the British sailors In Mel
sons three great victories at the battle
OF Trafalgar at the battle Of the Nile
and the battle OF the Baltic combined.
II much exceeds the total number OF lives
lost In the Union navy-and indeed In
the Union and Confederate nsvies COM
bined--dring the civil war. That ts.
this nation has been peaceful" during
the past year. while peaceful ships on
, which It's citizens were sailing lost a
larger number Of lives than we lost at
sea in the entire War of lsl2 and than
we inflicted at sea In the War Of lsl2, a
much greater loss than Farragut's feet
| tories. "A greater loss than Nelson's fleets
suffered in his three great victories
We Must Get Ready.
Every man who is both intellisen
and patriotic must therefore advocate
| preparedness, thoroughgoing and ade-
Quate, and therefore the willingness &c
/ incur the necessary expense for finant-
| ing prepa aredness.
! Nearly eighteen months have gone -
| since. with the outbreak OF this war. 1,
I became evident 70 every man willing Il
face the facts that military and nava
| problems and international problems OF
! every kind were Infinitely more serioL.
than we had had reason to believe. thai
| treaties were absolutely worthless &c
protect any nation unless backed b,
| armed force. and that the need OF pre.
| paredness was Infinitely more urgent
| than any man in this country had up tt
that time believed. The belief that pub
/ lie opinion or interna tional public
opinion, unbacked by force, had the
slightest effect in restraining a power
full military nation in any course o
| action II chose to undertake was showr
to be a pathetic fallacy. But any mar
| who still publicly adheres to and de
| fends that opinion At the present tim,
is engaged in propagating not pa
thetic but an absolutely mischevou.
and unpatriot!c fallacy.
1T is the simple and literal truth tha
, public opinion during the last eighteen
| months has not had the very smalles
effect in mitigating any atrocities O
preventing any wrongdoing by aEsres
, sive military Powers. save TO the eXac
| degree that there was behind the publi
opinion actual strength which would In
used II the provocation was sufficient,
great. Public opinion has been abso
| lutely useless as regards Belgium. ~
regards Armenia, as regards Poland
No man can assert the contrary will
sincerity II he takes the trouble to ex
anime the facts.
1T remains therefore for US to pre-
pare IN adequate fashion.
For eighteen months, with thh
world cyclone before our eyes, We as
nation have sat supine without pre-
pairing in any shape or way. II is al
actual fact that there has not bee,
one soldier. one rife. one gun. one boa
added to the American army or navy 81
far because OF anything that has oc
CURED In this war and not the slightes
step has Yet been taken looking tn
ward the necessary preparedness. SucI
national shortsightcdness, such nationa
folly, is almost inconceivahle. We hav
had ample warning TO organize
scheme Of defence. We have ahsolutel
disregarding the warning. and the meas
ures so far officially advocated are a
best measures OF half preparedness. an
as regards the large aspect OF ihe ques
ton are not even that.
We should consider our natiOna
military policy as a whole, We mus