Evening star., 1924-07-26
COOLIDGE REbUKES
NATIONAL DEFENSE
DAY OPPONENTS
Declares Condemnation Has
Been Founded on Basis of
Misrepresentation.
FAVORS LASTING PEACE
BUT BANS IMPOTENCE
Declares Defense Test Designed to
Assure Efficiency of Fighting
Forces.

as unfair" those who have CON
demned out of hand. simply through
the device of Misrepresentation" the
plans of the Government for observ-
Rnce of National Defense day, Sep
tember IL.
The President presented his COM
nent in the form of letter to Fred
erlck j. Libby, executive secretary
OF the National Council for Preven-
uon OF War, an organization which
1naugurated today campaign in
behalf of world cooperation for
peace and which had asked the Pres
tdent to indorse the movement.
Favors Pence, Not Impotence.
Declaring he had been "unuuaIi-
hedly sympathetic with the aim and
purpose to make war so nearly as
might be, an impossibiIity in this
world" the President in his letter,
made public at the White House.
said he could not detect any incon-
sistency in giving my approval to
the program of Defense day
Il wish crime might be abolished
out would not, therefore. abolish
courts and police protection" he
added. Il wish war might be made
impossible, but 1 would not leave my
country unprotected meanwhile. The
defense test seems to me a means to
assure the fullest efficiency to the
extremely modest defense force our
country maintains"
TEXT of I,etter
The Presidents letter, under date
of July %, follows:
MY Dear Mr.. Libby:
Some days ago I received a letter
from yourself, as executive secretary
of the National Council for Preven-
tion of War, informing me that that
organization is preparing for a cam
paign in behalf of world cooperation
for peace. to begin July 1921. on the
tenth anniversary of the outbreak of
the great war. 1t is intended to be a
great outouring of the genuine peace
sentiment of America. We believe it
to be in harmony with your own pur-.
poses as expressed on many occa-
sions. We respectfully ask
your Endorsement of the demonstra-
ton.
In reply, by my direction, the
secretary to the President wrote to
YOU saying:
The President asked me to ac-
knowledge receipt of your letter of
June so, with the assurance of his
most hearty sympathy for every
practical proposal to minimize the
danger of waE AS yoS know, he has
repeatedly expressed himself in this
tenor, and you may be Aire of his
continued and most genuine friendli-
ness for every worthy and effective
effort along these lines
sympathetic with Aims.
LAS is we'll known to all persons
who have done me the honor to ia
1niliarize themselves with my public
expressions on this subject, l have
been unqualifiedly sympathetic with
the aim and purpose to make war, SO
nearly as might be, an impossibility
in this world. Doubtless this is
counsel of perfection not to be real
lied without much earnest effort: to
that effort, when guided along feas-
ible lines, l have repeatedly pledged
my assistance.
1T is now brought to my attention
that your organization is profoundly
concerned because of the assumption
that the plans for a national defense
test, on September IL, constitute a
militaristic gesture. This assumption
seems to be based chiefly on a confu-
sion of terms In some unofficial and
entirely unauthorized way the de-
fense test has been denominated
mobilization day The Government
did not do this. 1t would be proper to
call it inspection day But it is not
a mobilization, and the Government
is not responsible for ary such desig-
nation. AS result, some we'll mean
ing people have misconstrued its
character and purposes, assuming
that a nationwide mobilization of
forces, and of the civilization and
industrial resources available for ma
tional defense, was to be carried out
on that day. This, of course, is far
from the truth. The Constitution and
the law contemplate the maintenance
of defense establishment, which
in time of peace always has been, and
is now, in proportion to our national
power and interests, one of the small
est in the world.
It have taken an oath to support
the Constitution and to execute tho
laws of the United States. l could
do this by maintaining a large stand
ing Army. 1 am opposed to any such
plan. I am trying to work out
method by which we can have con-
stantly. as we now have, an exceed
ingly small Army and leave our citi-
zens free from that burden by let
ting them assume their own respon-
sibility for a defensive establishment
sufficient to provide for domestic
peace and order and national defense.
Instead of being a military gesture
this plan is the exact opposite. 1t is
a non -militaristic gesture, for the
purpose of keeping down to its low
est possible point the professional
military organization Of the United
States Our country has always re-
aContinued on Page 4, Column %