Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-12-18
DANIELS WARNS OF
DANGERS OF PEACE
Visitors Are Guests Of Navy Sec
rotary On Presidential Yacht
This Afternoon

Addresses by Secretary of the Navy
Daniels and Secretary of the Interior
Lane, with highly important discus
sion of the permanent military policy
of the United States, in which a num-
Der of the governors participated, fea-
tured the last morning session of the
Governors Conference. This after
noon, the visitors are guests of Secre-
tary Daniels on board the Mayfiower.
Secretary Daniels address contained
a warning against the anticipation of
too prompt return TO ante-war condi-
lions. and a discussion of many of the
matters involved in it. Secretary
Lanes address was full of important
points. and was ably delivered, while
the discussion on the military ques-
ton, called forth expressions from
many standpoints In addition, the
subject of state agricultural policy"
was brought over from yesterdays
program.
Governor TOwnshend Presides
Governor John G. Townshend, Jr., of
Delaware, presided at the session this
morning Those who participated in
the discussion of state agricultural
policy were Governors w. l.. Harding,
of Iowa, and r. G. Pleasant, of Louis
lana, and Governors-elect J. b. A. Rob-
ertson, of Oklahoma, and S. r. Nc
Elyie, of Nebraska.
Governor Emmett ID. Boyle, of Ne
vada, opened the discussion of the per-
manent military policy to be adopted
by the United States. He opposed a
great standing army, and favored the
retention of the national guard as a
means of stimulating the pride and
patriotism of the youth of the nation.
Governor Phillips of Wyoming, said
that he was not yet settled in his mind
as to the size of the standing army
which the United States should main
tain. However, he said, he held the
view that military training should be
conducted by the United StateS rather
than by the separate states or other
agencies, as it was in a best position
/ to do SO. He said that he had no fear
of militarism in this country, where
the people controlled every detail of
| the national policy.
Gov. Beckett Has New View
Governor Thomas w. Beckett, of
North Carolina. injected an entirely
new point of view into the discussion
He said that he felt convinced that if
the government would devote the same
amount of money to the establishment
of physical examinations of all public
school children; the giving of proper
treatment and corrective measures;
the maintenance of physical drill along
the line of the settings-up exercises of
the army, and the establishment of in
struction in civil government and
other stimulating studies, that the
youth of this country would receive
greater benefit from it from military
instruction, and that good government
and peace would be more likely to be
furthered.
Governor Westmoreland Davis, of
Virginia, sounded a warning against
the permanent REIMBURSEMENT of the
rights of the states The states, he
said, had given up their rights to the
federal government in order that the
things necessary on account of the
war might be accomplished, but that
they should insist upon the return in
an unimpaired condition. He deplored
the tendency to depart from the his
toric facts of the union-the assembly
of sovereign states, which relinquished
certain of their rights in order to pro-
mote the general good, but retained
others in all their force. He said that
If the result of the war was to break
down this ancient syste moi checks
and balances upon centralized power,
then our soldiers who were left on the
battle fields of France would have died
in vain
Americans Not Soldiers, But Fighters.
Governor-elect Henry ]. Allen, of
Kansas, announced very different
viewpoint on the subject from any Of
those who had spoken. He compared
the work of the United States army to
SOAhSoHC WIZ tOoh tue place Oh
prize-fghter in the eleventh round
after his opponent was "groggy." He
quoted French general to the effect
that the Americans were not great
soldiers, but great fighters, and said
that if the other combatants had con-
Quoted the war as had the Americans,
all would have been killed.
The point that Governor Allen made
was that our pre-war policy had little
effect upon the soldierly ability Of the
troops that actually went into battle,
and, consequently. little bearing on the
methods which were to be pursued in
the future. He argued that most of
our troops had had little real testing,
and the matter of permanent mill
tary system could not be settled by