Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-07-28
Coolidge Tells
Reasons Observance
of defence Day"

- SOSSSO ~ @Ao - TSASA wa
of defence Day"
Washington, July 26.-The con-
troversy over the governments pro-
posal for observance of September
l. as Defense Day" was brought to
a climax today by the declaration of
President Coolidge that the proposed
celebration was designed purely and
solely to remind the American peo-
pie of their relations to and depend
ence upon the nations defense es-
Establishment
Recently the National Council for
the Prevention of War asked Mr..
Coolidge to endorse it's three months
campaign, starting today, for world
cooperation to stop war, and this
request combined with the continued
criticism of Defense Day" led the
President to write the letter.
The President presented his COM
ment in the form of letter to Fred
erick J. Libby, executive secretary
of the National Council for Proven
ton of War, an organization which
inaugurated today campaign in be-
half of world cooperation for peace
and which had asked the President:
to endorse the movement.
Declaring he had been "unquali-
fiedly sympathetic with the aim and
purpose to make war. so nearly as
might be. an impossibility 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."
II wish crime might be abolished:
but / would not therefor abolish
courts and police protection" he
added Il wish war might be made
impossible; but l 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"
The Presidents letter dated July
%, said in part:
'As is well known to all persons
who have done me the honor to IA
miliarize themselves with my public
| expression on this subject, / have
been unqualifiedly sympathetic with
the aim and purpose to make war,
so nearly as might be. an impossi-
bility in this world. Doubtless this
realized without much earnest eff
fort; to that effort when guided
along feasible lines. have repeated
ly pledged my assistance.
Confusion of Terms
ut is now brought to my attention
that your organization is profoundly
concerned because of the implication
that the plans for n national defence
test on September 18th constitute q
militaristic gesture. This assumption
| seems to be based chiefly upon a con-
fusion of terms. In some unofficial
and entirely unauthorized way, the de-
fence test has been denominated mo-
bilization day The government did
not do this. 1t would be proper to call
it inspection day. but it is not mo-
bilization, and the government is not
responsible for any such designation.
AS a result some we'll meaning people
have misconstrued it's character and
purposes. assuming that a nationwide
mobilization of forces, and of the civil
ian and industrial resources available
for national defence, is to be carried
out on that day. This. of course, is far
from the truth.
THE constitution and the law con-
template the maintenance of a defence
establishment. which in time of peace
always has been, and is now. in proper
tion to our national power and inter-
ests. one of the smallest in the world.
| have taken an oath to support the
constitution AMI to execute the laws
Of the United States. ! could do this
by maintaining a large standing army
I am opposed to any such plan. I am
trying to work out a method by which
we can have constantly. as We now
have, an exceedingly small army and
leave our citizens free from the bur-
den by letting them assume their own
responsibility for defensive estab
lishr1ent sufficient to provide for do
, mestice peace and order and national
! defence.
Is Non-Militaristic
INSTEAD of being n military gesture.
this plan is the exact opposite. II is a
non-militaristic gesture for the purpose
of keeping down to it's lowest possible
points the professional military organ
ization of the United states. Our coun-
try has always relied 0Aiefly for its de-
fence upon the readiness OF its patriot
ic manhood to take up arms when ne
ccssity presented. After the great mil
itary effort of the United States in the
World War. our army was demobilized
more rapidly and completely than that
, of any other warning nation.
Not only this, but the govern
ment of the United States initiated
1.-THE Washington Conference of limi-
tation of armament. which brought
about highly important reductions
! in the naval establishment of the
great powers. and which sought
! though without results. to effect also
an agreement for reduction Of ar
mics. Undiscouraged by the failure
! to effect a limitation of armies. our
| governments authorized spokesman
/ have repeatedly since that time de-
clared their wish to bring about a
further consideration of this ques-
! ton, with a view of accomplishing
a general reduction of armed forces
by land.
I'm the face of this record. which
| is known to all the world. 1t seems
unfair that the plans for defense
| day should be condemned, out of
hand. simply through the device of
Misrepresentation. Our government
is compelled to confront the realities
of the world. One of these. that in
| the agreement for Limitation of ar
! mics, has not been brought into ef-
feet. This being the case. our laws
provide a small permanent army
Il A