The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1916-10-14
SHIFTY WILSON ON
COLONIES BODKIN
Elusive BaIancer o. String of
Words Pinned Down by Proof
That in Fifteen Public Ut
teranCeS He Took Forty
One Different Positions
on Preparedness.
EACH STAND CONTRADICTED
FROM TO6OF THE OTHERS

Democratic Candidate Said That Our
Army Was Ample and That We Did
Not Have Enough Troops to Patrol
the Border; That We were on the
Verge of a Maelstrom and That
There Was No Critical Situation;
That the National Guard Would
Not Do and Then That 1t Must Do.
In the fourteen months extending
from December 9Th, 1914, to February
10th, 1916, there were fifteen mes
sages, letters and speeches of PreSi-
dent Wilson which l have read. In
these fifteen messages, letters n
speeches, during those fourteen
months, President Wilson took forty
one different positions about prepared
ness and the measures necessary to
secure it; and each of these ~forty-one
positions ~contradicted from one to six
of the others. In many of his speeches
the weasel words of one portion OF
the speech took all the meaning out
of the words used in another portion
of that speech and these latter words
themselves had a weasel significance
as regards yet other words. He ar
gued for preparedness, and against
preparedness. He stated that our
army was ample; and that we did
not have enough troops to patrol the
Mexican border in time of peace. He
said the world was on fire, and that
sparks were liable to drop anywhere
and cause us to burst into flame and
he also said that there was no imme-
diate danger. He said that there was
no sudden crisis; and then again that
he did not know what a single day
would bring forth. He said that we
were on the verge of a maelstrom;
and then that there was no special
or critical situation. He said the dam
ger was constant and immediate and
also that we were not threatened from
any quarter. He said that there was
no fear among us; and also that we
were in daily danger of seeing the
vital interest and honor of the country
menaced and the flag of the United
States stained with impunity. He
said that we were in very critical
danger of being involved in the great
European struggle; and also that
there was no need to dicuss the
question of defense, or to get nervous
or excited about it. In one and the
same speech, he said that a sufficient
number of men would volunteer, and
that if they did not he would be
ashamed of America and he also said
that he did not know of any law
which laid upon them the duty of com
ing into the army. if it should be
necessary to call for volunteers. He
said that we needed 100000 volunteers,
and that If there vas any legitimate
criticism of this demand it was be-
cause it was too small and as soon
as Congressman Hay objected to the
plan, he promptly abandoned it. He
said that the National Guard was not
the proper body upon which to rely
and then not only changed his own
mind but forced his own Secretary of
War out of his cabinet, because this
Secretary possessed less flexible con
victions and was unable instantly to
reverse himself when going at full
speed.-From the Speech of Colonel
Roosevelt at Battle Creek, Michigan,
in Behalf OF Nr. Hughes.