New Britain herald., 1918-12-04
ROOSEVELT STRIKES
 AS WILSON SAILS
Disagrees Entirely With Presi-
 dents Views on Peace Plans

New York, Dec. 4.-Asserting that the United States had not done nearly so much as the British navy and the British, French and Italian armies to bring about the downfall of Germany, Theodore Roosevelt declared ia statement at New York last night that "It is our business to stand by our allies at the peace conference"
 He said it should be instantly con- ceded'' that Great Britain needs the worlds most powerful navy and that it is Sheer nonsense" to say the American army was fighting for Pres ident Wilson's famous '14 points" He made the assertion "there was not one American soldier in every 1000 who ever heard of them"
 The British empire imperatiVely needs the greatest navy in the world and this we should instantly con- cede," said MT. Roosevelt. "Our need for a great navy comes next to hers and we should have the second navy in the world. Similarly France needs greater military strength than we do, but we should have all our young men trained to arms on the general lines of the Swiss system.
 The freedom of the seas is a phrase that may mean anything or nothing. If it is to be interpreted as Germany interprets it, it is thorough ly mischievous. There must be no interpretation of the phrase that would prevent the English navy in the event of any future war from re- beating the tremendous service it has rendered in this war.
 ''The British must of course keep the colonies they have conquered.
 ''As for this nation it must keep it's absolute economic independence and raise or lower it's economic barriers as it's interests demand for we have to look after the welfare of our own working gman. We must insist on the preservation of the Monroe doctrine. We must keep the right to close the Panama canal to our enemies in war time and We must not undertake to interfere in European, Asiatic or Afr1- can matters with which we ought to have properly no concern Declaring that "President Wilson has not given the slightest explana- ton of what his views are or why he is going abroad" MT. Roosevelt as- serted The is himself responsible for any division among the American peo- pie as regards the peace conference at this time."
 The 14 Points Rejected. He has never permitted the Amer ican people to pass on his peace pro- posals nor has he yer made those proposals clear and straightforward. As for the 14 points, so far as the American people have expressed any opinion of them, it was on Novem- Der when they rejected them," he continued, adding that the American army was fighting to smash Ger many" and the American people wanted Germany smashed.'' ''The Allies have never accepted the 14 points, he continued, the United States has never accepted them. Germany and Australia enthu- siastically accepted them. Here cer tain individuals, including President Wilson, MT. Hearst, MT. Viereck, and, as I understand it, number of pro- Germans and pacifists and interna- tional socialists, have accepted them, but neither the American people nor the American congress has accepted them.''
 Mr. Roosevelt declared that MT. Wilson himself has rejected at least 
 preted another in the directly oppo- site sense to it's plain and obvious meaning" and added that "some of the 14 points are thoroughly mis- chievous under any interpretation" and most of the others are vague and ambiguous.
 'Inasmuch as MT. Wilson is going over, it is earnestly to be hoped that it is his business not to try and be an umpire between our Allies and our enemies, but act Loyalty as one of the Allies," said MT. Roosevelt. We have not suffered anything like as much and We have not rendered as much , service as the leading Allies. It is the British navy and the French, British and Italian armies that have done the most to bring about the downfall of Germany, and therefore the safety of the United States. It is our business to stand by OUT Allies