The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1916-02-03

Keynote Of Address is Necessit
for Quick Action on Defense
Plans.
Cleveland, O., Jan. 29.-Ne,
circumstances have arisen, Pres
dent Wilson declared today, whic
make it absolutely necessary tina
this country should prepare TO
adequate national defense.
"We are in the midst of a worl,
that we did not make and canno
alter" the President said. ut
whole atmospheric and physica
conditions are the conditions O
our own life also, and therefore, al
your responsible servant ! mus
tell you that tht dangers are infin
lite and constant.
81 should feel that | was guilty
Of an objectionable omission if
did not go out and tell my fellow,
countrymen that new circum.
stances have arisen which make ii
absolutely necessary that this
country prepare herself for war,
not for anything that smacks in
the least of aggression but for ad-
equate national defense.
Americas improvident neglect
to build merchant ships, the Pres
ident said in explanation, had left
the country dependant upon other
nations to carry its commerce, ma
tons now at war, all friends Of
America. but preoccupied, stub
bornly steadfast in the mainte-
nance Of their main purpose.
wherever the ordinary rules
Of commerce at sea and Of intcrna-
tional relationship are apt to be
thrust aside or ignored" he con-
tinued, "there is danger of the
more critical kind of controver
sy."
The necessity for quick action
was made the keynote of the Pres
ident S preparedness addresses in
Pittsburg and Cleveland on this,
the first day, of a weeks tour of
the Middle West.
He told of difficulties encount- |
cred in maintaining the peace and
apholding the honor of the United
States at the same time. Two
things he said We're told him by al
most everyone who came to the
White House.
One was that the people were
counting on him to keep them out
IF war, and in the next breath he
continued, he was told that the
people counted equally upon him
70 maintain the honor of the Unit
ID States.
'Have you reflected that a time
night come when l could not do
'oth!" he asked. "Have you
made yourselves ready to stand
'ehind your Government for the
maintenance of the honor of your
ountry9
Nobody doubts that given time
nough We can assert any amount {
1 force necessary. But when the
vDrld is on fire, how much time
10 you want to take to be ready? /,
When you know that there are
ombustible materials in the life F.,
T the world and in your national
fe, and that the sky is full of |
loating sparks from a great con- q
[agration, are you going to sit
own and say it is time when the /
re begins to do something about
i
~ do not believe that the fire
going to begin, but l would be f
lrer of it if we We're ready for d
~ 'e.A' \
National defense, the President
I'D, was not party matter. He +
as sorry that tht issue arose in a d
residential campaign year be- Il
use of the danger that politics
light becloud it. Republicans a
ID Democrats, he declared, were n
Ipally patriotic and should be
he to agree on the national de- B
pse Of their common country. d
But after all, the President con- *
lued, the issue did not lie with
,ngress. He felt that Congress "
,uld do its part. The issue lay g,
til the young men and the en- it
oyers Of the country. The ques-
in was whether the young men Fl
,uld volunteer in answer to the
u and whether the employers il
luld place no obstacles in the al
y Of their responding. Not un- in