Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-10-31
~ the Associated Press,

BOSTON, Oct. 31.-The tert
OF President RooSeuelts address
last night at the Boston Garden
tollotDs:
I've had a glorious day here in
New England. I've looked for
ward to coming here to Boston.
But there's one thing about this
trip that I regret. I have to re-
turn to Washington tonight,
without getting a chance to go
into my two favorite States
Maine and Vermont.
In New York City I showed
by the cold print OF the Con-
gressional Record how Republic
can leaders, witch their votes and
their speeches, have been playing
and still are playing politics with
national defense.
Even during the past three
years, when the dangers to all
forms of democracy throughout
the world have been obvious, the
Republican team in the Congress
has been acting only as a party
team.
Time after time, Republican
leadership refused to see that
what this country needs Is an all
American team.
These Sideline critics are now
saying that we are not doing
enough for our national defense.
I say we are going full speed
ahead!
Navy Ships in Commission
Rise from 1913 to 337.
Our Navy is our outer line of
defense.
Almost the very minute that
this administration came into
Office we began to build the Navy
up-to build bigger Navy.
In seven years we have raised
the total of 1913 ships in commits
sion to 337 in commission today.
We have 119 more ships under
construction today.
In seven years we raised the
personnel of the Navy from 1885,
600 to 100000 today.
You good people here in Boston
know of the enormous increase OF
productive work in your Boston
Navy Yard. There are now SIX
times as many men employed In
all our navy yards as there were
in 1888. The private shlpbulld-
ing yards are also humming with
Notwithstanding ships for our
NAVY and for our expanding mer-
chant marine.
The construction of this Navy
has been a monumental job. IN
snite of what some campaign
orators may tell you, you cannot
buv a battleship from a mall
order catalogue.
We have not only added ships
and men to the Navy. we nave
enormously increased the Ell
fectiveness of naval bases IN our
outlying territories.
Out objective is to keep any po-
tential attacker as far from our
continental shores as we can.
And within the past Two
months your Government has
ACQUIRED new naval and air bases
In British territory in the AT
lantic Ocean. They extend all
the way from Newfoundland TO
that part of South America where
the Atlantic Ocean begins to get
narrow, with Africa not far away.
7 repeat: Our objective Is to
keep any potential attacker as
far from our continental shores
as we can.
That is the record of the growth
If our Navy. In 1888 a weak
Navy; in 1910 a strong navy
Sideline critics may carp IN a
campaign. But Americans are
mighty proud of that record.
Americans will put their country
first and partisanship second.
Republicans Voted Against
Building Ships in 1898.
And speaking of partisanship,
I remind you-when the naVal
EXPANSION bill came up in 1888
the vast majority of Republican
members of the Congress Voteo
against building any additional
battleships.
What kind of political shenan-
igans are these?
Can such people be trusted with
national defense?
We are also expanding our
Army. Under normal condltions
we have no need for a large
ARMY. But unprecedented dan
gers REQUIRE unprecedented action
to guard the peace of America
against unprecedented threats.
Since the day when Poland was
invaded we have more than
doubled the size of our Regular
ARMY. Adding to this the FEEDER
allied National Guardsmen, our
armed land forces now equal
more than 100000 enlisted men.
The officers and men of our
Army and National Guard are
the finest in the world.
They will be the nucleus Tor
training the young men who are
being called under the Selective
Service Act.
Gen. Marshall has said that
the task of training these young
men is profound privilege;
Campaign orators seek to tear
down the morale of the Ameri-
can people when they make
false statements about the
Army's equipment. I say we
are supplying our Army with the
best fighting equipment IN the
world