Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1916-02-04
handsome things that belong to
Navy on War Footing.

the navy. is concerned, although the
present naval force is inadequate in
size, the president said in his Chica-
go speech. I'VE mean business" he
added, speaking of the preparedness
plans. I've have given to the pres
ent fleet of the United States an or
ganization such as it never had be-
fore, I am told by Admiral Fletcher,
and we have made preparation for
immediate war, so far as the navy is
concerned.
"The army" the president said,
"as at presnt constituted, is not large
enough even for the ordinary duties
of peace"
America, the president said, had
been cruelty misjudged by the ma
tons now at war.
Il know that on the other side of
the water there has been a great deal
of cruel misjudgment with regard to
the reasons why America has re-
manned neutral. Those looking at US
from a distance don't feel the strong
pulses of ideals and principles that
are in us.
"They do not feel the conviction of
America that our mission is a mis-
sion of peace and that Righteousness
cannot be maintained as a standard
in the midst of arms. They don't
realize that back Of all our energy
we are a body of idealists much more
ready to lay down our lives for a
thought than for a dollar.
"They suppose, some Of them, that
we are holding off because we can
make money while others are dying,
the most cruel misunderstanding that
any nation has ever had to face - so
wrong that it seems almost useless to
try to correct it, because it shows
that the very fundamentals of our
life are not comprehended or under
stood"
Rulers, not public opinion, brought
about the present war, Mr.. Wilson
declared.
II thank God there is no man in
the United States who has the author
ity to bring on war without the con-
sent of the nation" he said. The
task of the United States, he pointed
out, has been to assert the principles
of law in world in which the prin-
ciples of law have been broken down.
1--WE are not now thinking of in
vasion of the territory of the United
States" the president declared; "that
is not what is making us think. We
are not asking ourselves, shall we be
prepared only to defend our homes
and our own shores?
The Monroe Doctrine.
"Is that all we stand for? To keep
the door shut securely against our
enemies? What about the great
trusteeship set up for liberty of ma
tional government in the whole West
ern hemisphere? We stand pledged
to see that both Of the continents of
America are left free to be used by
their peoples as those people choose
to use them. under system Of ma
tional popular sovereignty as abso-
lutely unchallenged as our own.
Somebody must keep the great,
stable foundations of the life of ma
tions untouched and undisturbed;
somebody must keep the great eco
nomic processes Of the world of bust
ness alive; somebody must see to 1t
that we stand ready to repair the
enormous dsmage and the incalcu-
liable losses which will ensue from
this war, and which it is hardly cred
liable could be repaired II every great
nation in the world we're drawn into
the contest"
Discussing his proposals regarding
the navy. President Wilson said:
1.-THE trouble is not with the quail
ity or the organization of the exist
ing navy; it is merely that we have
followed plans piecemeal, a little bit
at a time, now in this direction, now
in that direction. We have never
set ourselves definite goal Of equip
ment and set our resolutions to at
tain that goal within a reasonable
length of time, and the plans that are
being proposed to the present con-
gress and which the present congress
will adopt, are plans to remedy this
piecemeal treatment of the navy and
bring it to its highest point Of eff
cheney by studied plans carried out
from month to month and year to
year."
He referred to his recommenda-
tons that congress establish govern
ment-owned armor plate and NUM-
tons factories, 'for the purpose of