The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1916-04-28
COLONEL AND FOUR SONS WILL
ANSWER If CALLED BY
COUNTRY.
WOEFULLY UNPREPARED
Former President Says Youthful
r. Lives Would Pay the Penalty
For Our Negligence.

Oybter Day, ~. Il, April lf.-ll
the United States goes to war with
Germany, the Roosevelts will gail
of them. The colonel said so to-day
in a statement called forth by the re-
cent utterances, Stand by the presi-
dent" but he spoke for the men who
would have to do the fighting and
who would die by the thousands be-
cause of the country's unprepared-
ness. Col. Roosevelt said:
men are saying that they stand
behind the president or by the presi.
dent. l wish to speak for the men
who. In the evlnt Of war.wfll stand
in front Of the president, and be-
tween him and the foreign enemy,
and who. therefore. will stand be-
tween danger and the men who are
behind or beside the president.
Fight, Regardless Of Cost.
These are the men who will go to
war at once IL there is war with Ger
many, or with any other great pow
er, and who feel as I do, that we
would far rather go to war unprepar-
ed than see our women and children
murdered with impunity, and the
honor of the flag stained.
2 "But 1t Is a wicked thing that the
folly of our rulers in obeying the be-
hests of the peace-at-any-price peo-
pie and the apostles of anti-prepar-
edness should make the sacrifice
either useless or else needlsssae-and
appallingly wasteful in blood.
All Rooseveits VIII Go.
"In the event of such a war my
four sons will go, and one, and per-
haps both of my sons-in-law; will
go myself; the young kinfolk of my
sons will go; SO my words are spoken
with my eyes open.
''It is of small consequence what
happens to us of the older genera
ton, but when I think of the young
men, my heart grows bitter that
their fine and gallant lives should be
not to the nations need,
but to the nations folly.
81 would far rather see them dead
than to see them finch from their
duty when the honor of our people is
concerned, hut If we 60 to war now,
these young men and all Of their fe-
lows will die in thousands OF fever
and dysentery and lung trouble IN
the camps. because we have not pre-
pared in advance. because they and
those who lead and care for them
have not been trained in advance.
Laxity Means Butchery.
"They will be butchered needless
ly in battle because we have failed
to prepare masses of artillery and
machine guns and motor trucks and
shells and aeroplanes. and have fail
ed to provide and train the men who
shall manage all the formidable and
delicate mechanism of war.
"Twenty-one months have passed
since the great war began. and dur
ing all this time we have not pre-
pared in even the smallest degree,
in order, II possible, to avert war
from US. or. If it could be averted. to
wage it effectively and successfully.
"The pacifists and anti-prepared-
aess people have had their will and
our rulers at Washington have bow
ID to them and left us helpless and
with blind faulty they said they did
his in the interests of peace.
when will our people learn that
he peace of unpreparedness is the
,eace of cowardice and folly. and
nay at any time lead to overwhelm-
ng disaster?
''Crime Against Nation
1.-THE failure of our rulers at
to prepare during these
months OF war when even
! child ought to have seen what was
has represented folly so
'xtreme that In its effect It was
rhine against the nation"