The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1916-05-26

UNITED Press Dispatch.]

Criticised Wilson Administration.
| Colonel Roosevelt declared that
the Wilson administration has TAX
en- no step for preparedness, and has
done nothing efficient to sustain our
national rights" Because, he said
| the administration had at intervals
'ventured feebly to speak in contra
diction of it's non action" the ultra
pacifists and their followers have re-
fused it any whole-hearted support
| They object, Colonel Roosevelt add
ed, N"even to make-believe prepared
ness: they insist on even more thor
| ough- going helplessness than that
which we had so amply provided al
Washington"
1--WE must make this nation as
strong as are its convictions in ref
erence to right and wrong" declared
Colonel Roosevelt. at little matters
what our ideals may be and what
achievements we may hope for, if
these ideals and achievements can
not be reduced to action. The events
of the past, and the events of today,
sho what national ideals amount to
nothing if the nation lacks the pow
er to maintain them against opposi-
ton.
Therefore, if we are to win at
home against those of our fellow cit
liens who believe in the policy of
unpreparedness, that is, of national
weakness and inefficiency, we must
have strong and we'll reasoned con-
victions and express them with
strength and sincerity. A consider
able part of the strength of Mr.. Hor-
dein in the primaries, and of the
strength of the advocates of half
preparedness at Washington, comes
from the fact that no real alterna-
tive of policy is offered with sincerity
and fearlessness"
In urging universal military serv-
ice based on universal training" Col
onel Roosevelt said he believed in it
because it would be not only of in
calculable benefit to the nation in
the event of war, but of incalculable
benefit to the individuals undergoing
it, and therefore to the nation, as re-
CARDS the work of peace" He con-
tinued:
The Dog-Tent.
Il believe that the dog-tent would
prove most effective agent for
democratiZing and Matchmaking our
life; quite as much so as the public
school and far more so than the
American factory and the American
city as they are today. Preparedness
through universal service would turn
out to be the best possible school of
practical civics. In such school all
men who are Americans in spirit
would get together and learn to work
together, so as to insure co-opera-
ton among our people in social and
industrial life. Such cooperation
will secure not merely liberty and
obligatiOn-which is just as import
ant as the other two.
1--WE must abolish pork barrel
methods in the army-as regards
army posts, navy yards, as regards
everything else. Remember that aft
ter preparedness has been accepted
by the country and the necessary
funds voted, the real work will have
only begun. England's navy repre-
SCENTS over three centuries and Ger
many's army over two centuries of
development along an unbroken line
of tradition and progress to the pres
ent stage OF efficiency. The first
and all important essential is to di-
vorce the army and navy organiZa-
tions absolutely from politics."
Colonel Roosevelt asserted that
1.-THE extreme naval party in Germany
has recently advocated war with the
United States on the ground that in
I,o Ia Df
we would have to pay all the war
expenditures Of the Germanic powers
and their allies"
Foreign Foe Is Foe of All.
"These enormous sums would be
raised by taxation on all our citi-
Zens," he said; those of German de-
scent would pay as heavily as those
of any other descent; and all would
share equally the shame and dishOn-
or. A foreign foe is the foe of all
of us alike. If in this land the citi-
zens of one national origin success
fully set the fashion of influencing
this nation to its own detriment in
the interest of the country from
which they originally came, sooner or
later it is absolutely certain that the
citizens of some other national origin
will repeat the experiment; and this
country will be left degraded and
helpless among the nations. If such
an event befall us, the bitter bread
of humiliation will be eaten by all
those who dwell in this land, no mat
ter what their creed, no matter what
their national origin. 1t will be eat
en- by your children and grandchil-
dren and great grandchildren just as
much as by mine.
"Americanism is matter of the
spirit, not of birthplace or descent
Among the best Americans I have
ever known, among the men closest
to me in social and political life, are,
and have been, men born in, or men
whose fathers were born in, Ger
many, Ireland, the Scandinavian
kingdoms and other European coun-
tries. They stand on an exact level
with the other Americans, whose an
cestors were here in colonial times,
We are all part of the same people.
'We all stand together for our
common flag and our common coun-
try. We must so prepare that this
country will be a good place in which
the childrens children of all of us
shall live; and to do this we must
so prepare that we can repel all for
eign foes and preserve the inestim-