The Johnson City comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1916-1917, 1916-01-27
WILSON AND ROOSEVELT.

Col. Roosevelt's quarrel with Pres
ident Wilson's preparedness program
is that it is entirely too modest and
doesn't go far enough. Gen. Luke
Wright, of Memphis, and formerly
in Mr.. Roosevelt's cabinet for a brief
period chimes in with his former
chief by noting the difference be-
tween speaking softly and carrying
| & big stick" and, as he was pleased
to call the presidents policy, speak
| ing loudly and carrying a stuffed
club" These highly progressive gen.
| tlemen do not stop to think how fool
! ish what they are saying sounds to
| the American citizen who has a mind
10 understand what all the bother is
about. 1t will be observed that Mr..
Roosevelt speaks in general terms as
to what he thinks would be necessary
preparation, although Gen. Wright
may be regarded as speaking for
him, in a way, when he says the army
ought to be increased to 10000 men
and the navy to equal that of any
other power, England, supposedly, in
Guided
The difference between these gen
tlemen and the president is that they
apparently expect to go to war with
somebody tomorrow, while he doesn't
intend to go to war with anybody if
we can honorably keep out of it. At
least the president doesn't apprehend
any hostilities for some time after the
I'M, e.,
for the very simple reason that as
the thing is now going, none of them
will be able to engage anybody in
war for some time to come. Mean
time the president proposes a salts
factory beginning by establishing the
nucleus for formidable army and
for a great navy, his purpose being to
add to both as the occasion may re-
quire or as time goes on. So far as
his program and that proposed by
Mr.. Roosevelt and seconded by Gen.
Wright, is concerned, there is no
material difference if we are to have
war next week, as the two "big
stick" advocates appear to expect;
for if we were to have war at any
time within the near future the pres
ident's proposed army and navy
would be equally as effective as
those. suggested by Gen. Wright. A
difference of $4,000 men and a few
ships wouldn't help a particle if we
had to fight. To properly defend our
coast against any first-class power
would require double the number of
ships Mr.. Roosevelt proposes and to
protect the interior against force
that could be landed at any of our
unprotected ports would require two
or three millions of men, well drilled
and thoroughly equipped. In other
words, if we are going to prepare for
war; none of the plans SO far pre-
scented are adequate. The presidents
idea is the best of them all, for he
proposes to prepare for peace and
against war. He wants to show the
nations of the earth that we can and
will fight, if it becomes necessary,
and that we have got the men and
the money too and the willingness to
make a fight effectively for such an
event.
In this emergency the people have
an additional reason for thanking
heaven that they have Woodrow Will
son in the presidential chair. He APP
pears to be the only mamie and
few of the more level-headed sena-
tors and congressmen-who hasn't
lost his head and become hysterical
over a condition that has not arisen,
that may never arise and that he is
determined, If wisdom, prudence and
self-respect can accomplish it, shall
not arise. While these emotional
statesmen are trying to create an at
mosphere of war and set going
wave of fght-at-any-cost'' quite as
dangerous to the country as it's an
tithesis, peace at-any-price," Presi-
dent Wilson is preaching the spirit of
peace with due regard for the honor
and dignity of the nation, and advo-
eating the preparation of the people
for emergencies that are as yet
limned only in the historical imagi-
nation of men hypnotized by the hor-
ror of the European condagration-
Chattanooga Times.