The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-05-03
TELL The TRUTH
and SPEED WAR
ROOSEVELT PLEA
Former President Also Asks
for Army Of Five Million
Men.
fBy Associated Press.)

BOSTON. Mass. May 3.--The prime
need Of the United States at the pres
ent time is to tell the truth and speed
up the war. Col. Theodore Roosevelt
told an audience last night in pleading
for support for the Liberty loan and
other war movements. The address
was under the auspices Of the chamber
Of commerce and the Pilgrim Publicity
association.
The former president gave the ad.
ministration credit for having become
partly awakened in the last few weeks
since the big battle actually COM
menced. He demanded an army Of
100000 men and declared he did not
give rap where mans parents were
born, just so he was a good, straight
American.
Back IN the Soldiers
The American soldiers overseas at
this moment have made all Americans
forever their Debtors" Col. Roosevelt
said. They are the Americans who,
OF all our people. are most deserving
OF honor. The first duty Of the rest OF
us Is to back up these men by doing
whatever Is necessary to aid them.
DO the thing that is next, and do 1t
now. And the thing that is next at
this moment is TO oversubscribe the
Liberty lean. Put your dollars back OF
the rifles at the front
More than a year after being forced
into the war we are wholly unable to
defend ourselves by own own strength.
Our coasts are safe only because the
British fleet protects us. The only
cannon or airplanes and almost the
only machine guns our soldiers have
at the front were obtained from our
war worn ally. France.
Real Effort Now
During the last few weeks, since
the great battle really begun, our gov
eminent has partly awakened. There
has been real effort to put competent
men to work at least In some Of the
more important bureaus, 4 real effort
to hurry up the shipbuilding, real eff.
fort to hasten the shipment OF troops
abroad.
This is good. 1t is praiseworthy.
But II Is inexcusable to nave waited
for year before beginning to exert
our strength with any speed or eff.
cheney.
1T has just been announced from
Washington that we are about to call
out 10000 more men. This is alb
surdly inadequate. Make 1t 100000
now and announce that we intend to
put 100000 troops IN the field. It is
mere child's play to call out only
100000 men.
And right here l call your attention
sharply to the fact that the newspa-
pers which in the past have been most
violently pro-German and anti-Ameri.
can are the newspapers which take
;he lead in denouncing the men who
.ruthfully and honestly point out our
shortcomings. These newspapers serve
their own sinister purposes when they
attack those who strive TO make US
efficient. These newspapers are act
ing in the interest Of Germany and
against the interests Of America.
When ! was In Germany in 1910 I
found that the two things which had
really impressed her and made her
disinclined to NEEDLE with us in re.
cent years were the building of the
Panama canal and the voyage of the
battle fleet around the world.
Necessary to Tell the Truth.
The prime need at the moment is
to tell the truth and to speed up the
war Tel 1.-The truth. not SO as to dis
courage. but on the theory that we
are a virile people and that we will
be braced by the knowledge of the
truth.
I'VE must feel weep within our
hearts the spirit of Americanism. The
events Of the last three and a half
years ahve shown most wildly that
no man can be loyal to this nation
unless this loyalty is absolutely single
and undivided. Americanism does not
depend upon where a man was born
nor how long his ancestors have been
on this side Of the water.
the fleets and armies of your war
AT this moment all of you whom
] address would be doing the bidding
Of stern and brutal men In spiked
helmets II YOU we're not protected by
the fleets and armies of your war
worn allies. We have tried the expe
riment Of broomstick preparedness,
and unless we wish to be prayed in a
mortar til our folly depart from us,
we will never try it again. When
this war has ended let us enter into
any agreeme mt possible with other ma
tons to minimize the chance of war
and limit the area of war in the flu
ture: but let all these paper pledges
be taken with the full knowledge that
at any time an able. brutal and I'M
scrupulous nation may choose to treat
them merely as scraps of paper.
so much for the future. The pres
ent need Is to put the war through
until we win the peace Of complete
victory. Let us start at once to build
an army OF 100000 men. Uncle Sam
has slept too long. Let him awake
and at the earliest moment harden
and use his giant but lazy strength"
When lack Of funds prevented the
aracfior of naW hosnifal at palm