New Britain herald., 1916-02-03

the JOSS OI lIlS Japanese Dy QlSedSe and battle in their war with Russia. DO you want to repeat that? And while that is going on, what might happen? What sort of disaster may come to you while you are trying to make an army out of absolutely raw | material? Why it seems almost ri- diculous to say how little the present administration is asking for. It is asking that 500,O00 men be asked to volunteer to take a little training every year for three years; not more than two or three months out of the year, in order that when volunteers are called for in the case of war, we
 may have men, at least 500,000 of them, who know something about the use of arms, something about the sani- tation of camps, something about the organization and discipline of war in
 the field and in the trenches.
 And there are men in congress asking: Can you get the 500,000 men? Will they volunteer? Why, I believe you could get them out of any one
 state in the Union. You could almost get 5000 of them out of this audience. But do not forget that that is not all there is to this problem. Suppose that l knew that back of the insistence of the United States upon it's rights was a great navy that ranked first in the
 world and a body of men trained to arms adequate at any rate to fend off any initial disa to the United States while we were making an army 1 ready. That would be only the be- ginning.
 Munitions Factories. There are other things that we have been very much concerned about in Washington and we are taking steps to attend to. The railroads of this country have never been drawn into the counsels of the government, never until recently, in such fashion as to
 make plans for co-Ordlnat1ng all Of them to transporting troops and trans port provisions and transport muni- tions in such way as to be the effec-
 tive arteries of the red blood and en- ergy of the nation; never until re- gently, though we are beginning to do it. We are taking counsel with re- gard to that now; but, mark you, the munitions of war are made in this country almost exclusively near, the borders of the country and for the most part upon the Atlantic seaboard, and any initial disaster to the force
 
 greater part of them, if not all of hem, in the possession of an enemy. So that you see the circle of my argu- ment leads right back to the necessity for a force of men who can prevent an initial disaster so that there will be no first invasion-a first disaster.
 "I have been wringfng my heart and straining every energy of mind and heart that I have to preserve the honor and integrity and peace of the United States, but think of what must lie back of my thoughts. I know what you want me to do. I would be ashamed if I did not use the ut most powers that are in me to do it. But suppose that same morning I should have to turn to you and say: Fellow citizens, I have done as much as I can, now l must ask you to back me up with the force of the nation,' and suppose that I should know be- fore I said it that I had not told you tonight. Do not suppose. however, that I am afraid that it is not going to be done.
 ''I am a believer not only in some of the men who talk, though not all of them, but also in that vast body of my fellow citizens who do not do any talking and I would a great deal