Spray courier. (Spray, Or.) 1???-19??, 1916-02-03
President Wilson Urges People
~a to Preparedness.
CHANGED CONDITIONS ARE MHAdNG
Cleveland Speech Unusually Grave
and Warning Of Nations I'm.
pending Danger Is Given.

Cleveland, o. New circumstances
have arisen, President Wilson declared
Saturday, which make II absolutely
necessary that this country should pre-
pare for adequate national defense
I'VE are In the midst Of a world
that we did not make and cannot al.
ter" the President said. "Its whole
atmospheric and physical conditions
are the conditions of our own life, al
10; and therefore as your responsible
servant ! must tell you that the dam
gers are infinite and constant. HI
II should feel that were guilty Of
an objectionable omission II did not
20 out and tell my fellow countrymen
that new circumstances have arisen
which make It absolutely necessary
that this country prepare herself for
war. not for anything that ssmacks In
the least Of aggression but for ade-
quate national defense"
Whenever the ordinary rules of
commerce at sea and Of international
relationship are apt TO be thrust aside
or ignored, he continued, there 10
danger Of the more critical kind of
controversy.
America 10 not afraid Of anybody.
| know reflect your feeling when |
say that the only thing am afraid OF
ID not being ready 70 perform my
duty am afraid OF the danger Of
shame. am afraid of this danger Of
insdequacy; am afraid Of the danger
Of not being able to express the cor
rect character Of this country with |
tremendous might and effectiveness
whenever we are called upon to act In
the field Of the worlds affairs.
He was applauded frequently and
when he spoke Of defending the ma
tion's honor the cheering was tremen-
dous.
81 do not wish TO leave you with the
impression that am thinking Of some
particlar danger. l merely wish to
tell you that we are daily treading
amidst intricate dangers. The dam
gers that we are treading amoung are
not Of our own making and not under
our control. think no man In the
United States knows what single
week, a single day. single hour may
bring forth #&s /,
The President spoke of the navy and
the coast defenses, saying:
Take for example the matter Of
our coast defenses. II is obvious to
every man that they are Of the most
vital Importance to the country. Such
coast defenses as we have are strong
and admirable, but we have not got
coast defenses In enough places. Their
quality Ia admirable but their qunatity
s insufficient.
"And the navy Of the United States! q
You have been told that 1t 10 the Sec I
md In strength In the world. am .
'orry to say that experts do not agree
With those who tell you that. Reck-
ming by its actual strength believe t
{ to be one of the most efficient navies
n the world; but It's strength ranks [
ourth, not second. You must reckon b
With the fact that it is necessary that
hat. should be our first arm of defense, +
md you ought to insist that everything g
hould be done that it Is possible for |,
Is to do to bring the navy up to an t
dequate standard Of strength and eff {
iency. I'D & q
T"Where. We are lacking more per- o
Iaps Is on land and In the number Of \
nen who are ready to fight. The {,
desire Of America is not D
hat she should have a great body of il
len whose chief business Is to fight,
ut great body Of men who know h
ow to fight and are ready to fight r,
,hen anything that is dear to the ma d
lon is threatened. You might have c,
hat we have. millions Of men who o.
ave never handled arms of war, who 4,
re mere material for shot and powder Il
you put them in the field, and Amer a,
"a would Be ashsmed Of the ineffi- r.
iency OF calling s'nch men to defend A
ne Nation" h,