Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-06-05
NATIONAL DEFENSE
DOMINANT NOTE
Middle West as Well as East
and Far West Strong
For Preparedness
[By a STAFF Correspondent. ]

Chicago, June Reorganization for
national defense, military, industrial
and economic, will be the dominant
note in the platform to be adopted by
the Republican convention and Chicago
could scarcely have selected a better
time for It's wonderful preparedness pa
rade than Saturday. Delegates, leaders
and visitors who got here in time to see
1t were thrilled by its significance and
those who came yesterday and to-day
were impressed. really enthused by what
they read and heard of 1t. The effect
upon those to come must not be lost
sight of. 1t gave a strong impetus to
the sentiment that is resounding for
strong declarations for adequate pre-
paration against aggression. Men from
the seaboards who had imagined the
Middle West, secure in its distance,
cold toward the building up of defense,
changed their minds and expressed de-
cided opinions about the platform.
The preparedness parade was a re-
markable prelude to convention which
will exercise a vast influence upon
national history. 1t was stirring to
see not thousands, but tens of thou
sands of men, drawn from every walk
of life marching, marching. march
ing along the Lake Front, each
one with an American flag. Thousands
of women marched, too, and the city
which has almost as many foreign ele-
ments as New York gave a demon
stration OF Americansm that was not
lost on some Congressman who hap
pened to be there. 1t certainly was not
lost on the men who will run the con-
vention and the Roosevelt boomers
promptly proceeded to turn its over
whelming approval into an endorse
ment of the Colonel.
Aside from the untiring spirits of the
marchers, their cheering and their wav-
ing of flags. the thing that impressed
one was that the bands all played
American airs. 1t seemed that there
was tune from every section of the
land, Dixie" Shawnee River"
illinois, Maryland, My Maryland"
and similar airs were played in be-
tween the Star Spangled Banner"
America, I Love You" and yankee
Doodle" but you didn't hear "Tippe-
rary" or Die Wacht am Rhein."
/ took advantage of some stops in
! the line of marchers that had not end
ed at nightfall to ask some of the men
| If they knew why they were parading.
The answers varied from the remark
that 1t was to wake up them dube at
| Washington" and to SHOW that we can
| fight" to the more sober explanation
that 1t was to wake up them dubs at
ment for big navy and a large enough
army. I did not strike anyone who
did not have a pretty clear idea of the
reason, although l was asked by sew
eral young men why ] did not read the
papers or when had struck town. One
robust "stockyard district industries"
man, according to the band on his hat,
answered my question by telling me
to go jump into the lake. He looked
as though he would have liked to have
put me there.
The truth is the city is worked up
over defense and 1t took a day off to
prove it's interests in the cause of be-
ing ready. There are volunteer COM
panles drilling every evening on the
Lake Front and the convention crowds
are not blind to the earnestness of it.
Beyond the question there will also
be declarations for tariff provisions
which will protect our Dauphin county
iron and steel and factories from the
foreign flood when the war is over.
Some important government economy
declarations will also be made.
A. B. H.