The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1918-01-18
Here's What Two Ex-PresidentS
Say of Their Country
Which Opinion Do You Like?
TEDDY DENOUNCES
'FATUOUS PLAN OF
WATCHFUL WAITING

KANSAS CITY. 40, Jan. 1s.-pThe
Fruits Of watchfuI' Waiting" is the
title OF a copyrighted editorial article
by Theodore Roosevelt in the Kansas
City Star. Colonel Roosevelt says:
We have been at war nearly one
year wetha failed to do any dam
age to Germany, but We have done
great deal Of damage to ourselves.
Recently the Presidents Secretary OF
War announced that the war was 5000
miles away and SC he had not pre-
pared to meet IL.
incidentally, the feats OF the Ger
man submarine off Newport in the
fall Of 1915 showed that IL 1t had
not been for the allied fleets ana
armies the war would then have been
on our own shores. But at the mo-
ment Il is 1000 miles away, and yet
this nation Is suffering the kind OF
grave economic arrangement that we
would suffer II hostile army was on
our own shores.
sAeeompIIshed Very Little.'
We have accomplished very, little.
We have suffered very much. Both the
failure in accomplishment and the
amount OF avoidable suffering are due
to the resolute refusal of our Govern
ment to prepare in advance ana TO
its fatuous persistence in the poilcy
of watchful waiting.
Doubtless part OF the present
,rouble in connection with coal 10 due
to unyyisdom in the price-fixing OF
bituminous coal Doubtless part OF
II is due TO the railway congestion
which, in its turn, is due TO the COM
plete lack of system and Uonsequent
chaos due to suddenly imposing on
vell-meaning, stodgy Government OF
ficials of average capacity the duty
Of dealing in a tremendous hurry with
a situation OF unprecedented size com
plexity and Importance. But the tenn
porary causes are all secondary 10
the great cause of complete failure
to prepare in advance.
Our economic unpreparedness IL
lust as complete as our military I'M
preparedness, and Is one OF the ehieI
factors therein. We are now pay
ing bitterly for the fact that two ana
three years ago Il was deemed poltlc-
ally wise to shape our governmental
policy along the lines Of "Watchful
Waiting" and HE Kept Us Out OF
War" II three years ago we nao
begun in good faith and earnestly
to prepare, and II, when the Lusitania
was sunk, we had acted as preclsely
as we did act with no more proVoca-
ton in February last, this war would
now have been over.
Could Have Saved BISoduhed.
An immense amount of bloodshed
would have been spared and the dan
ger OF German militarism would have
been forever averted. In such case
we would have greatly developed the
trained administrators and the CO.
herent system necessary to deal WISE
ly with the economic no less than the
military feature OF q great war.
Our refusal to prepare in advance
and our fatuous acceptance OF rhe-
torical platitudes as a substitute for
preparations have resulted in our
present military impotence and pro-
found and far-reaching economic de-
rangement.
The profound business distrust, the
unrest OF labor. the coal famine, the
congestion OF traffic, and the shutting
down OF industries at the time when
1t is most important that production
SHOULD be speeded to the highest
point, are all due primarily 20 the re-
fusal to face facts during the first
two years and a half OF the world
war. and the seething weller OF inef-
ficiency and confusion in which the
policy of watchful waiting finally
plunged US.
Nine-tenths OF wisdom is being
wise in time. All far-sighted patriots
most earnestly hope that this nation
will learn the bitter lesson and that
never again will we be caught so
shamefuuy unprepared. spiritually.
economically. and from the military
standpoint as has been the case in
the year that is now passing.