Crossville chronicle. [volume] (Crossville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1918-09-04
TEDDY TALKS ON LOYALTY.
Puts the Case of True Americansm in
Clear and Forceful Light.

The following from former preslden
Theodore Roosevelt is the most logica
arraignmet of those VINO dallied with
opportunity and failed to heed the
warnings of the present war, in sc
logical manner that no one can fai
to see where they cost this country
much needless blood. His remarks
follow:
The men who do the fighting at the
front and their mothers and wives
back here are those who in this great
and terrible crises are payIng-the
blood of the men and the tears of the
women, and with the suffering of men,
women, and chhldren-for our failure
to prepare during the two and half
years before we entered the world war.
For this failure to prepare, in spite of
the most vivid warning ever given a
nation, the warning that befell the
rest of the world dnring those two and
half years, the professed pacifcists
and the politicians who pandered to
them are more responsible than any
one else, ecxept the pro Germans.
If, when the war broke out, or at
latest, when the Lusitania was sunk,
we had done our plain duty, we would
have then began to build ships, field
cannon and alrplanes and to train
men exactly as we have been doing
the last year and a quarter. except
that we should have done the work on
larger scale with more efficiency and
with much less waste and extrava-
gance.
SAYS INFANTRY HAS TO PAY.
Remember that failure to provide
great nun bers of cannon and airplanes
means that the infantry has to pay tor
it with huge increase of slaughter.
ALI the guns ard a.rpianes we left
unbuilt during the first three years
Of the war has meant 80 much more
bloodshed, so many more Americans
killed and crippled, not to speek of
the tremendous loss of our allies.
Moreover, when men in small num-
bers are put in battle; when only a
few hu ndred thousand are forced to
suffer heavy losses in doing work
which two or three million men could
have accomplished speedily and thor.
oughly and with very little loss. the
responsibility rests on those who pre-
vented the preparation in advance.
If we had built qualities of ships and
trained large numbers of men IN ad
vance the world war would have ended |
almost as soon as we entered and an |
infinite amount of bloodshed would |
have been prevented. |
BEST ROLL OF OVERSEAS ARMY
The best roll of our army overseas
is the American roll Of honor These
men have paid with their bodies for
the safety OF this nation IN the pres.
ent and the future. They have died,
and by their death have carried tor
the rest of US the right to hold our
heads nigh with pride. 1t is no less
true, however. that their blooG has
been shed, anG their gallant lives
have been spent because we did not
prepare IN edvanee.
We did not prepare because our
people were mislsd. For this mis-
leading of the people the professional
profiteers share the responsl bility :
with pro-Germans, with sham senti-
m entaliSts, with the sordid, short I
sighted naterialists and with all poll
ticians, pIblicists and private citizens, {
rich or poors whose vanity or folly or
self interest protited thereby.
"WE SHALL REMEMBER IT."
We ought not to remem ber this with
any sp irlt of revenge, but most GER
alnly, unless we are worse than ,
oolish, We shall remember 1t and l
'ther warnings to teach Us how to be-
ave in the future. and as a very :
tern warning as against again trust i
ng to the leadership of men thus re
ponsible for the death of SO many
me and fearless young Americans.
Most OF the men who are misled,
nd some of the men who misled y
hem have come frankly forward to q
Omit their error. b
What is even more important. most q .
f them have made real atenement =
or their deeds. They have, II yeuas A