Montana labor news., 1932-10-27
LEST WE FORGET
ON NAVY DAY!


the observance of Navy Day is en-
tirely appropriate. The Rough Rider
President represented the purest
brand of militarism ever exhibited
in the White House, militarism of
a quality often revealed, however,
in the records of kings, emperors
and czars. This American exponent
was severely handicapped in that
he did not have equality of oppor-
tunity" with rulers of other lands
to demonstrate his %militarism. But
the records leaves no room for doubt
concerning his real sentiments.
"By war alone can we acquire
those virile qualities necessary to
win in the stern strife of actual
life" wrote Roosevelt nearly 80 years
ago. "In this world the nation that
has trained itself to a career of I'M
warlike and isolated ease is bound
to go down in the end before other
nations which have not lost the
manly and adventurous qualities"
To Henry Cabot Lodge he wrote
during the Venezuelan crisis in 1895:
'This country needs a war;" but un-
fortunately "the bankers, brokers
and a~nglomaniacs generally" seem to
favor "peace at any price" Four
days earlier, in an interview pub
lished in the New York Evening Sun
he had expressed himself as being
ready for war: american cities may
possibly be bombarded, but no ran
som will be paid for them More
over, a great many of our friends
!. seem to forget we will settle
the Venezuela question in Can
ada Canada would surely be
conquered, and once wrested from
England it would never be restored"
He put in writing the opinion that
President Eliot, Carl Schurz and
"the futile sentimentalists Of the in
ternational arbitration type" would
bring about "a flabby, timid type Of
character, which eats away the great
fighting qualities of our race" In
an address before the Naval Var
College at Newport, Roosevelt once
said: "Peace is a goddess only when
she comes with a sword GRIT on
thigh. Diplomacy is utterly use
less where there is no force behind
it; the diplomat is the servant, not
the master of the soldier"
AS assistant secretary of the navy,
belligerent Teddy gloried in his OPP
portunities. Said Representative
Butler of the House Naval Affairs
Committee: Roosevelt came down
here looking for war. He did not
care whom we fought as long as
there was a scrap" 1t was during
these days that his chief, Secretary
Long, confided to his diary: 81 find
that Roosevelt, in his p~recipitate
way, has come very near causing
more of an explosion than happened
to the Maine. He has gone at
things like a bull in a china shop"
In a letter to Lieut.. Commander
Kimball, dated Nov. 10, 1897, Roese-
welt gave as one Of the two reasons
why he favored war: " . the ben
eft done to our people by giving
them something to think of which
isn't material gain, and especially
the benefit done our military forces
by trying both the army and navy
in actual practice. 1t would
be a great lesson, and we would
profit much by it," To his older
sister he wrote that "it will be awful
if we miss the fun if we can
only get in the fun" From Cuba
a friend wrote to Mrs. Roosevelt:
"No hunting trip so far has ever
equalled it in Theodore's eyes.
When / caught up with him the
day of the charge. he was rev.
cling in victory and gore. He had
just doubled up a Spanish officer
like a ~jackrabbit. Twenty years
later the Rough Rider exclaimed;
I"San Juan was the great day of my
life" And on another occasion he
said: 81 would honestly rather have
my position Of colonel than any other
position on earth"
So profound was his admiration
of military efficiency that he found
it difficult to condemn Germany's
invasion of Belgium. 81 am not now
taking sides one way or the other
as concerns the violation or disregard
of these treaties" he wrote in the
Outlook on August %, 1914. when
giants are engaged in a death wres-
tie, as they reel to and fro they are
certain to trample on whomever gets
in the way of either of the huge
straining combatants. Writing a