Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1916-01-18
PREPAREDNESS
WAS THE THEME
Of DR.. WEAVER
In a Speech Delivered a the Com
mercial Club Monday
Evening.
II RAISED MY BOY
TO BE A SOLDIER "
Was Remark of Reverend Gentle
man During His Interesting
Address. r..

mercy of any foreign nation which
may choose to take go days time
from it's present difficulties to admin
lister us sound drubbing, in the opin-
ion Of Rev. w. X. Weaver, vice chair
man for Wyoming of the Navy
League of the United States, who ad-
dressed a small audience in the Com
mercial club rooms last evening on
the subject of preparedness.
IMr. Weaver, although his address
was decidedly militant, asserted and
reiterated that he is not for war, but
for such a state Of preparedness as
shall cause any nation contemplating
forcing us into war to hesitate.
Boy to Be Soldier.
81 raised my boy to be a soldier
said the speaker, in opening his dis.
cussion. "I'm not too proud to fight.
There 10000 things in the world
worth fighting for. The most far
reaching harm is being promulgated
by teaching that there is nothing
worth fighting for.
"A nation which will Aottag ght must
pass from thetface of the earth. The
seas have narrowed; continents have
narrowed; the world has become very
small We occupy prominent place
upon that small stage. We must play
the game-play it as other nations
play it, and with the same instru-
ments which other nations use
Pays Respects to Ford.
Dr. Weaver paid his respects to the
Ford peace expedition.
"There can be no peace without
justice. Nothing is settled until set
tied right. Any individual who would
want peace on any other basis than
justice cannot be called a man.
War Not Impossible.
We don't want war, but no think
ing man can look at the present situ-
alton in the light of the past and say
that war is impossible. We are Who'll
ly unprepared for war. We are de-
ticient in everything that goes to
make war. except the ability to snf-
fer defeat. degradation and hnmilia.
ton. -. .. ..
I'VE need a larger regular army.
Our regulars have. always proved 10y
al and efficient. The militia and vol
nnteers have been found just the re.
verse. Lincoln wrote confidentially
to the governors of the various states
that If he had just 10000 trained men
he could have closed the Civil war in
three weeks. If the Confederacy had
had 10000 more trained men at Bulls
Run it would have captured Washing
ton and established forever an alien
nation on American soil
''It has been the policy Of the Am
erican government to fight it's bat
ties with volunteers. Other nations
have fought with trained soldiers.
That's why we are paying $1S0,000,-
900 year today in pensions. The
army that marched down Pennsylva-
MIA avenue in 1865, or the army that
Lee led away from Appomattax was
the equal Of any army in the world,
because it had been trained, disciplin-
ed, schOOled.
Navies Win Wars.
"The nation with the greatest navy
has always won. The only part OF
the war of 1912 upon which we can
look back with satisfaction is made
up with brilliant victories of our ma
Wy. Our splendid coast defenses' are
nothing. With tens of thousands of
miles of accessible coast, fortification
is impossible If our coasts are pro-
tected at all it must be protected by
our navy. We must have a navy to
protect our commerce. l learn that
North Dakota is indifferent-that it
is too far away from the coast to be
concerned in a navy Yet. l tell yor
that if we lost control Of the seas,
North Dakota would suffer more than
any other state in the union, because
more of North Dakota's products than
of any other state enter into export
trade You would see your dollar
wheat dwindle to quarter wheat.
"Battleships are more economical
than battles, in both men and money.
1t is imperative at this moment that
we have an adequate navy. Today
we stand fourth or fifth among naval
powers. Every other nation today has
five or six destroyers to each battle
ship. We have about one and one
sixth Germany has 1900 aeroplanes,
England and france each have 1000.
The United States has 13. The Unit
Continued on Page Two)