Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-08-01


, stead Of whiting away our formaa
, statements by equivocal conversations
we needed the straight, direct and De
cisive representations which every dip
lomat and foreign Office would under
stand. I believe that in this way W
should have been spared the repeate'
. assaults on American lives. Moreover
; a firm American policy would hay
been strongly supported by our peopl
and the opportunities for the develop
ment of bitter feeling would have beef
vastly reduced.
ResoIuteness Not Road to War.
ut is d great mistake to say the
resoluteness in protecting American
rights would have led to war. Rather
in that cause lay the best assurance
of peace. Weakness and indecision IL
the maintenance of known rights ar
always sources of grave danger; the!
forfeit respect and invite seriou!
wrongs, which in turn create an un.
comfortable popular resentment. Tina
is not the path Of national security
Not only have we a host of resource:
short of war by which to enforce oul
just demands, but we shall never pro
mote our peace by being stronger II
words than in deeds. We should not
have found it difficult to maintain
peace, but we should have maintained
peace with honor. During this criti-
cal period, the only danger of war has
lain in the weak course of the admin
istration.
Il do not put life and property on
the same footing. but the administra-
ton has not only been remiss with
respect to the protection of American
| lives: it has been remiss with respect
| to the protection of American prop
erty and American commerce. 1t has
been too much disposed to be content
with leisurely discussion, | cannot now
undertake to review the course of
events, but it is entirely clear that we
| failed to use the resources at our com
mand to prevent injurious action, and
that we suffered in consequence. We
| have no Interior purposes, and the ad-
| ministration should have known how
to secure the entire protection Of every
| legitimate American interest and the
| prompt recognition Of our just de-
mands as a neutral nation,
I'VE dencunce all plots and conspir-
acies in the interest of any foreign
| nation. Utterly intolerable is the use
of our soil for alien intrigues. Every
American must undeservedly condemn
| them, and support every effort for their
suppression. But here. also. prompt,
vigorous and adequate measures on
the part of the administration were
needed There should have been no
hesitation: no notion that it was wise
and polite to delay. Such an abuse OF
our territory demanded immediate and
thorough going action. AS soon as the
administration had notice of plots and
conspiracies, 1t was it's duty to stop
them. 1t was not lacking7in resources.
It's responsibility for their continuance
cannot be escaped by the condemna-
ton of others.
Preparedness.
I'VE are a peace loving people. but
we live in a world at arms We have
no thought of aggression, and we de-
sire to preserve our democratic ideals
without the wastes of strife. So de-
voted are we to these ideals SO intent
upon our normal development, that ]
| do not believe that there is the slight
est danger of miIitarism in this coun-
try. Adequate preparedness is not
militarism. 1t is the essential assur-
ance Of security; it is necessary
safeguard of peace. ia
1T is apparent that we are shock
ingly unprepared. There is no room
for controversy on this point since the
object lesson on the Mexican border.
I All our available regular loops Qess,
I believe. than 10000 are there or in
Mexico. and as these haSe been deem
cd i've fFNtn
| guard has been ordered out; that is.
we are summoning practically all our
movable military forces in order to
prevent bandit incursions. In view of
the warnings of the past three years,
| it is incxcusable that we should find
| ourselves in this plight. 81.
For our faithful guardsmen. who,
| with fine patriotism responded to
this call and are bearing this bur-
den, l have nothing but praise. But
I think it little short of absurd that
we should be compelled to call men
from their shops, their factories. their
offices and their professions for sucf a
purpose. This, however, is not ali.
| The units of the national guard were
| at peace strength. which was only
about one half the required strength.
| 1t was necessary to bring In recruits.
| for the most part raw and unframed.
Only small percentage of the reg1-
ments recruited up to war strength
| will have had even a years training
in the national guard, which at the
maximum. means 100 hours of military
drill, and, on the average means much
| less.
Take the eastern department as an
| Illustration. The states in this de-
partment contain about y per cent OF
the entire organized militia Of the
country. I am informed, by competent
authority, that the quota of militia
from this department, recently sum-
moned with the units raised to war
strength, as required would amount to
about 13i 900 men: that in response to
this call there are now en- route to or
on the border about $4,000 men. and in
| camp in their respective states, about
| $4,000; and thus, after what has al
| ready been accomplished, there still
remain to be supplied in recruits about
| $4,000 men. Men fresh from their
peaceful employments and physically
| unprepared have been hurried to the
| border for actual service. They were
| without proper equipment; without
necessary supplies; suitable conditions
Of transportation were not provided.
Men with dependent families were
sent; and conditions which should
| have been well known were discovered
after the event. And yet the exigency,
comparatively speaking, was not a
! very grave one. 1t involved nothing
| that could not readily have been fore
seen during the past three years Of dis
turbance and required only modest