The Topeka state journal., 1916-10-28
POLITICS DIRECT
MILITARY NEEDS
OF U.S..SAYS T.R.
Legislation Designed to Secure
Votes Next November.
Too Proud to Fight; Too Proud
TO Prepare.
PRESIDENT A STRADDLER
Trying TO Please Pacifists and
Those for Preparedness.
Roosevelt JOIts Administration
in Denver Speech.
Legislation Designed to Secure
Votes Next November.
Too Proud to Fight; Too Proud
TO Prepare.
PRESIDENT A STRADDLER
Trying TO Please Pacifists and
Those for Preparedness.
Roosevelt JOIts Administration
in Denver Speech.

Denver. Oct. 2s.-The Republican
party in Colorado is garnering a har-
vest OF Republican sentiment in the
wake OF Theodore Roosevelt, who
spent parts of two memorable days in
This city during the past week. The
cruwning success of the colonels visit
was the speech before an audience of
5000 that packed every nook and
corner OF the big Denver Auditorium,
Tuesday night.
In his characteristic ''skinning"
phrases. the speaker fairly took the
hide off'-at least in spots-of the
Present administration, especially on
the issue Of national defense Roose-
velt's vigorous language carries con-
viction, and he seemed in his element
&C ressing a vast audience of west
erners. many Of them from the min
ing camps and ranches of eastern and
northern Colorado.
Hecklers DoWned.
The colonel encountered the custom
ary heckler. He's gotten Ised to him,
however. and evidently was prepared
When the police attempted to drag
out several who interrupted the speak
er. Roosevelt objected.
no. let him stay I'll answer him,
rejoined the colonel.
And for every "heckle" Roosevelt
came hack with so demonstrative an
answer that the heckling process soon
became unpopular.
There. I guess 1 mastered that
N.
expressing satisfaction over the verbal
bout. his teeth cleaning.
The speech in part of Mr. Roose-
welt follows.
Leads OFF on Self Defense.
Mr.. Roosevelt spoke in part as fol-
lows:
speak to you especially of the
rrime duty of self-defense. l abhor
unjust and wanton war. l shall al
vvays do, as I always have done, every
thing to secure honorable and lasting
peace. But 1t is folly to say that we
shall never be engaged in war. The
events of the past two years show
that as the world now is, such an as
sumption by any nation is not only
folly. but criminal folly. Washington,
who was the very opposite of the
pacifists of his day, said that this
country could not expect always to
avoid war. His words were true then.
They are true now. If this nation
continues its national existence long
enough IL is sure at some time in the
future to be involved in war exactly
IS al times in the past II has been
Involved in war. Our prime duty is
- 70 prepare as to minimize the num-
Der OF occasions when war will come
and to insure that when il does come,
Il shall result neither dishonorably nor
disastrously for the American people.
At this moment we are not ready in
any way, physically or spiritually, to
a
lamentable fact to several causes. but
Especially to the evil leadership given
our people in high places. Mr.. Will
son has not only been too proud to
Tight. but has also been too proud to
prepare.
Standing Army of 5000.
The people of this country should
provide for a first class 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 4
short service men, which would give
Us mobile army of 125,00O or 150,-
GOO to deal with such eXigencies as
that which the feebleness of our gov
ernment has brought about on the
Mexican border at this moment.
I honor the national guardsmen who
are at the front. They have the true
eoldierly stuff in them. But the sys-
tenn under which they have been sent
T. an atrocious one, and should be
Changed at once. They have been
tricked into going into what they sup
posed was a war on behalf of the
country.
These rulers in Washington were no;
really interested in preparedness
They were not really interested in the
defense OF their country. They thought
only of their own political fortunes in
the Immediate future. They refused
TO give us expert military legislation
They gave us political military legisla-
ton; legislation designed to secure
votes next November at the cost of tbs
lives OF the gallant officers and mer
OF the regular army; at the cost oi
the lives of the civilians. men wom-
en- and children on the border, and II
Mexico; and at the cost of the we'll
being of thousands of the families oi
national guardsmen who had them
selves been sent to the Mexican bor'
der. The legislation of the last ses
sion should be repealed and the WORK
Of preparedness entered upon witt
serious purpose
SpoiIs Their Sole Aim.
Mr.. Wilson recently said that thu
supporters of Mr.. Hughes included
5ncongruous elements. The Demo
cratic party, with Mr.. Wilson at iti
head. is itself composed of utterly con
fiicting elements with no sincere bonS
OF union except the desire to seeuf,
federal office. In consequence the in
ternal legislation Mr.. Wilson has OBJ
tained has had to be obtained by the
exchange of offices for congressional
support: and. as a result, the fedora
civil service has been debauched al
never before. and Washington has wit
messed the worst administration of thu
executive departments we have haC
for thirty years. If specifications are
needed. refer you to the statementi
of dispassionate. non-partisan experts
In administration, such men as GifforC
Pinchot. Lucius Swift and William
Dudley Foulke.
There are certain things for which
Mr.. Wilson and his party claim credi
where credit can only be awardec
them by emphasizing the duplicity o.
their action The banking law is 8
good law in certain of its provisions
but these provisions are those OF tht
Aldrich bill which before election ths
Democrats 80 frantically denounced
A.- in sir 1or faS G