Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-01-10
DROP EVERYTHING BUT
WAR, URGES COLONEL

Just what we must do 10 WIN tlle
war was explained by Colonel Roosevelt
in speech at the closing exercises of
the peirce School at the Academy of
Music. Drop everything except the bust
ness Of war. speed up, adopt the best in
foreign methods and then develop our
own improvements-this was the gist of
the Colonels advice. Incidentally, there
were touches of the usual Rooseveltian
criticism Of the American people for
their failure to prepare for the war, and
the usual Roosevelt insistence that
henceforth the nation snaf be prepared
for any emergency that may arise.
The speech followed a day of con-
tinued activity such as is usual when
the Colonel is a guest in the city. Two
dinners. two receptions and an inspec-
tion of the sun Shipbuilding Company's
plant combined to make 1t fairly
strenuous day for the strenuous eX-
president
In his speech at the Academy Colonel
Roosevelt said:
We are a business people. Infinitely
I the most important business before us at
! this time Is to win the war. | need not
! tell you that one of the fundamental
| aXions of good business is never to
| skimp job. Don't undertake 1t unless
| you mean business. But when once
/ you have undertaken it put il through
/ at all costs. OF course you ought care
| fully to have prepared in advance before
undertaking the job. But If you have
vance, this offers no excuse tor quitting.
! To Quit would merely make the matter
/ infinitely worse. Your duty in such case
is TO work doubly hard and endure twice
the sacrifices that would otherwise have
, been necessary, doggedly persevering
Until you have done your allotted task,
NATION GRAvELY REMIss
This is just what we have to do now
, with the war, As a nation We have heen
gravely remiss in not acting in time
and. above all, in entirely falling to pre-
pare in advance. IL is a blameworthy
and unpatriotic thing for any mar. to
fail to recognize these facts. and to fail
to work with all his heart for a per-
based on universal training in advance
of war: for it will be literally criminal
IL we ever again permit ourselves TO be
caught so utterly unprepared as, ir spite
of all warnings, was this time the case
Let us keep steadily in mind the fact
that for the last year. while we have
slowly and blunderingly been starting
to make ready our soft and unhardenec
strength, we have owed our safety from
conquest only to the fact that We were
protected by the fleet of England ana
time it may not be worth while for an,
one to protect las and In anykevent II Is
an ignobe thing for this great natioi
to owe its safety only to the protection
of others.
A permanent pkiey, of preparedn,ees' pparsdT,e ;,
The immediate need Is to put The wal
through. The immediate need is to speed
up the work of war, md with unswerv'
ing hearts to insist that we, accept nc
peace save the peace of complete victory
for the right.
OF course, the prime work is to pu
cur armies on The fighting front thor
oughly armed. equipped and tra.ied
The first need Is to bend every energy
TO the building of cargo ships; the wori
should proceed literally night ana day
by three eight-hour shifts. We should
get m lsses of good machine guns eithel
the Lewis gun or some other which Is ~
efficient; and II any delay IN getting
them is caused by desire to secure som
other gun that is theoretically more EN-
cient, then we should demand instan
action in securing the good guns ina
can be secured first. afterward securing
the other which are theoretically better
SPEED UP FACTORIES
30 our own work with the cannon
French Ere allies for Them, but speed up ou
} own cannon factories. Don't let q FAC
tory remain idle As regards airplanes
the best f0reSp& dept mSSsS aSSnt our o%n
and then try to develop our own also
Perfect the Organization for the lighting
J lines, for the camps, the supply 9epots
the hospitals and the channels OF com
munication. Get our men proper felt
hospitals and clothing at once: MAX
the division commanders understand una
possible with what they get they. arr
also to see whether their men nav,
plenty of clothes and TO demand that al
deficiencies be supplied Elna out W., wn'
J but meanwhile get the soldiers the warn
So much for the soldiers; We civil
ians have our ,a du,ies nst,on ai BACK ~ 81 our Or