Arizona republican., 1921-09-02
an. who could fittingly serve

man. who could fittingly serve as president, if it were otherwise. have come to feel a new confidence in myself because of capable men find everywhere about me who can take upon their shoulders part of the great load that comes to any executive. l feel so concerning the secretary of war; I feel so concerning General Pershing. and all men with whom I have come in contact and who are in authority.
 I can, from my own experience, remind you that if the war college is the institution which brings the knowledge of experience into a blend with theory, it is one great institution of practical value. The trouble with the world today is that too many theorists know nothing about actual ities and have learned nothing of eX perience, and whoever in this life brings the wisdom of experienGa into a blend with the teachings of theory l makes a contribution to real progress. T do not know what ought to be said about your profession for the future, but men of the army, no mat ter where the best aspirations of the world may lead us, no matter what i tremendous and gratifying progress | is made, there may never be a time without the necessity for armed fore es in every government. I believe with all my heart we are coming to a time when we are going to dimin- | ish the burdens of armament.
 T think there will be less of armies 1 and less of navies. I wish it with l all my heart but there never can 1 come a time when there is not a requisite agency for the maintenance 1 of law and authority and for national 1 defense. It is perfectly futile to think l there may never be conflict when you 1 stop to consider that in 2,000 years of l Christian civilization and 1000 more of pagan civilization concerning l which we are informed we have only l lately come to a real civilized state l of armed warfare and that doesn't apply quite to all the nations.
 It has been slow proceeding, and | I believe we Of America without un- 1 seemly boasting can say we have 1 come the nearest to unselfish. en-
 scientious warfare of any people 1T the world. and I pledge you now you | will never be called to service during
 the present administration for an, war that you could not enter with al | your heart and souls as American l citizens.
 | Now that may seem to be { l strange statement to make, but
 want you officers of the army tt | precede your activities in the defens,
 of our national life with that insist
 ent understanding among peoples l that we must put furtherest asid'
 any possible occasion for conflict.
 am firm believer that there are twt
 essentials to the civilization to whicl
 we all subscribe. One is the under
 standing among men at home. Wi
 ought to have no conflict like tha j which is distressing us in West Vir
 ginia. That is a lack of understand
 ing. There should never be con
 flict between civilized nations an ] there never will be if there a.s me : in authority who will insist on a ful
 understanding first. I do not knot
 how you will approve, but 1 wan
 you, for the time being to be advis
 CTS of an administration that seek
 for American fullness of understand
 ing with the peoples of the world an
 if we have that, there never will com
 conflict that all America cannot an
 swer with the fullness of the hear
 and the depth of the soul.
 Gentlemen, I wish you we'll in tn 1 year of study before you, and I kno'
 I can say with all my heart that wit
 the aid of knowledge of the aspira
 tions which will come to this asso
 citation and study, you will contribut
 in proportion to the intelligence. tn i power and the glory of the arm.
 which is onc branch of American re iance for national defense