Norwich bulletin., 1916-02-01

although the present naval force is in- adequate in size, President Wilson de- several thousand persons in the Audi torium here.
 We mean business" he said, in speaking of the preparedness plans of the administration.
 Navy is Prepared.
 We have given to the present fleet of the United States an organization such as it never had before, am told by Admiral Fletcher" the president said. And we have made preparation for immediate war, so far as the navy is concerned"
 The army, the president said, as at present constituted, lis not large enough for the ordinary duties of peace"
 No Time to Lose.
 The president repeated his warnings that no time must be lost in strength ening the defenses of the nation. He declared the government was doing everything it could for preparedness.
 When I see some of my fellow citi- zens spread finder where the sparks are falling, I wonder what their ideal of Americanism is,'' the president said
 America Cruelty Misiudged.
 America, the president said, had been cruelty misjudged by the nations now at war.
 T know that on the other side of the water there has been a great deal of cruel misjudgment with regard to the reasons why America has remained neutral. Those looking at us from a distance do not feel strong pulses of ideals and principles that are in us.
 Our Mission Mission of Peace.
 They do not feel the conviction of America that our mission is a mission of peace and that righteousness can not be maintained as a standard in the midst of arms. They do not realize that back of all our energy we are a body of idealists much more ready to lay down our lives for thought than for a dollar.
 .sThey, suppose, some of them, we are holding off because we can-naake money while others are dying, the most. cruel misunderstanding that any nation has ever had to face-so wrong that it seems almost useless to try to correct it, because it shows that the very fundamentals of our life are not comprehended or understood"
 Rulers Brought About the War.
 Rulers, not public opinion, brought about the present war, MT. Wilson de- clared.
 T thank God there is no man in the United States who has the authority to bring on war without the consent of the nation," he said
 The task of the United States, he said, has been to assert the principles of law in world in which the princi- pies of law have broken down.
 We are not now thinking of inva- sion of the territory of the United States the president declared That is not what is making us think. We are not asking ourselves shall we be prepared only to defend our own homes and our own shores.
 No Selfish Purposes.
 'Is that all we stand for? To keep the door shut securely against our en- emies? What about the great trustee ship set up for liberty of national gov ernment in the whole western hemi- sphere? We stand pledged to see that both continents of America are to be left free to be used by their people as those people choose to use them under a system of national popular sove- reignty absolutely unchallenged as our own.
 At this moment the Americas are growing together upon that handsome privilege of reciprocal respect and de- fense."
 Detailed plans for strengthening the army and navy and the aviation corps and for making munitions and arma- ment by the government were outlined. The president spoke for nearly an hour.