The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1916-02-18
Mr.. Bryan's Address.

/
Hon. William Jennings Bryan, Ex-
Secretary of State in the cabinet of
President Wilson, delivered an adj
dress at the Auditorium last Friday
Afternoon before large and delight
ed audience. His subject was "The
War in Europe, and it's Lessons to
| Us" In his most interesting con-
Iversational way the lecturer told of
the great war now raging in Europe,
and which, without apparent reason,
has grown to its present awful pro-
portions out of the false philosophy
that might makes right"
| On the subject of preparedness,
Mr.. Bryan said:
| "Do not allow yourselves to be de-
ceived or misled as to the real issue.
The question is not whether this ma
ton would defend itself if attacked.
We have potential power of defense
such as no other nation has today
such as no other nation has ever had,
and other nations know it. There is
no danger that an attack would not
be resisted, and we would not depend
on the jingoes. They would be too
busy making army contracts and loan
ing money at high rates of interest
to reach the front. If we ever have
a war, we will depend, as in the past,
upon those who work when the coun-
try needs workers and fight only
when the country needs fighters.
The question, repeat, is not wheth-
er we would be willing or able to de-
fend ourselves if attacked. The real
issue is whether we shall adopt the
European standard of honor and
build our hope of safety upon pre-
|parations which can not be made
without substituting for the peaceful
spirit of our people the spirit of the
militarist and the swagger of the bul
lily. The spirit that leads nations to
put their faith in physical force is the
spirit that leads people into war. 1t
lis the spirit that expresses itself in
threats and revels in ultimatum. If
you would know what the dangers of
preparedness will be if preparedness
becomes national policy and is adj
ministered by those who are leadir
in this crusade, just imagine what
the situation would be today with so
many opportunities to get into trou-
BILE, if we had in the White House a
lingo with the duelist's standard of
honor and anxious for a fight. We
have reason to be grateful that we
have as President a man who loves
peace and is rtying to find a peaceful
solution of all the problems that con-
front u.s."
Mr.. Bryan does not appear to OBJ
|ject to the present enormous expedi-
ture Of $250,OO0,O00 for national de-
tense; but the increase of that ex-
penditure on plans of the Navy
League, which insists that we ought
to appropriate five hundred millions
annually for the navy and have an
army of a million men, a program
that could not be carried out for
seven hundred and fifty millions a
year-three times the present appro-
priation, or an increase of five hun
dred millions a year. This would
mean $5,00O,0OO,OOO in ten years.
On this point Mr.. Bryan said:
81 have made a calculation to see
how much hard road could be built for
five billions, which the five hundred
millions annual increase would aggre-
gate in ten years. From informa-
ton furnished by the Agricultural
Department I find that the average
cost of macadam road 16 feet wide
and 6 inches thick is a little over
$4,000 mile. That there may be
no doubt about the estimate being
sufficient let us arbitrarily raise it to
l$8,333.33 per mile, which will enable
us to make the computation in round
numbers. If we count the distance
| from ocean to ocean at 5000 miles,
and the distance from north to south
at. 1900 miles, we can with five bill
ions of dollars build enough macadam
road. three miles for $4,000, to make
one hundred highways from the At
lantic to the Pacific, putting them
twelve miles apart, and highways
north and south twelve miles apart,
| so that when the five billions wera
spent the country would be gridironed
with macadam roads twelve miles
apart east and west, north and south.
and no American citizens would then
live more than six miles from hard
road that would take him anywhere
| Ill Tie OulIeu SIdIeS. IL lHe JlHpOeS
insist that we are in danger of at
tack, let us propose that we get ready
by building roads. 1t will greatly in
crease our defensive power if we are
able to quickly mobilize our army and
rapidly transport it to the point
threatened"
Two of Mr. Bryan's closing SEN
fences were:
"We stand at the head of the neu-
trail nations; the world looks to US
to act as mediator when the time for
mediation comes. If, for any reason,
no matter what that reason may be,
we enter this war, we must step
down from our high position and turn
over to some other nation an oppor-
tunity such as never came to any
nation before and may never come
again. Some nation must lift the
world out of the black night of war
into the light of that day when an
enduring peace can be built on love
and brotherhood, and I crave that
honor for this nation. More glori-
Gus than any page of history that has
vet been written will be the page that
recordS orr claim IN the nronoica M do