Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1940-07-12

national defense.
On May 81, 1910, again sent a
message to the Congress, to say that
the almost incredible events of the
then past two weeks in the European
conflict had necessitated another en-
largement of our military program,
and at that time / asked for $1,277,-
TAI, ITO for the acceleration and de-
velopment of our military and naval
needs as measured in both machines
and men.
Again today, in less than two
months time, the changes in the world
situation are so great and so profound
that must come once again to the
Congress to advise concerning new
threats, new needs and the impera-
tive necessity of meeting them. Free
men and free women in the United
States look to us to defend their free
dom against all enemies, foreign and
domestic. Those enemies Of freedom
who hate institutions now deride DEM
ocratic governments as weak and inef-
ficient.
We, the free men and women of
the United States, with memories of
our father to inspire us and the hopes
of our children to sustain US, are de-
termined to be strong as well as free.
The apologists for despotism and
those who aid them by whispering
defeatism or appeasement assert that
because we have not devoted our full
energies to arms and to preparation
for war we are now incapable of de-
tense.
I refute that imputation.
We fully understand the threat of
new enslavement in which men may
not speak, may not listen, may not
think. AS these threats become more
numerous and their dire meaning
more clear, it deepens the determine
ton Of the American people to meet
them with wholly adequate defense.
We have seen nation after nation,
some of them weakened by treachery
from within, succumb to the force of
the aggressor. We see great nations
still calamity fighting against aggrcs-
sion, encouraged by high hope of ulti-
mate victory.
That we are opposed to war is known
not only to every American but to
every government in the world. We
will not use our arms in war of ag-
gression; we will not send our men to
take part in European wars.
But, we will repel aggression a.
gainst the United States or the West
ern Hemisphere.
The people and their representa-
tives in the Congress know that the
threats to our liberties, the threats
to our security, the threats against our
way of life, the threats to our insti-
tutions of religion, democracy, and of
international good faith, have increas-
ed in number and gravity from month
to month, from week to week and al
most from day to day.
1t is because of these rapid changes;
it is because of the grave danger to
democratic institutions, and above all,
it is because of the united will of the
entire American people that I come
to ask you for a further authorization
of $4,848, Iii, 1857 for the national de-
tense.
Let no man in this country or any,
where else believe that because we in
America still cherish freedom of re-
ligion, of speech, of assembly, Of the
press; that because we maintain our
free democratic political institutions
by which the Nation after full discus
sion and debate, chooses it's represen-
tatives and leaders for itself-let no
man here or elsewhere believe that
we are weak.
The United States is the greatest
industrial Nation in the world. It's
people, as workers and as business
men, have proved that they can unite
in the national interest and that they
can bring together the greatest assem-
bly, of human skills, of mechanical
production, and of national resources,
ever known in any nation.
The principal lesson of the war up
to the present time is that partial de-
Tense is inadequate defense.
If the United States is to have any
defense, it must have total defense.
We cannot defend ourselves little
Meeting OF AMERICAN