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Show TAFT SCOFFS AT VArIcare President Taft Tells Peace Society the Country's Unpreparedness Ha Been Exaggerated. Washington Following the gu . session of Secretary Dickinson's re.' port pointing out the military unprel. paredness of the United States, a well Jeflned war scare is afflicting the :ountry. While the war scare was assuming respectable proportions, the American Society for the Judicial Settlement of International Disputes held a banquet ban-quet in the interest of world's peace hexe Saturday night. - Many noted men spoke, and among them was President Taft, who declared it was his purpose to allay the "so-called war scare." "There is not the slightest reason tor such a sensation, because we are at peace with all nations of the world and are quite likely to remain so," he said. The president said his purpose in outlining the preparedness of the United States for war "at a peace meeting" was to show by contrast the great worthiness of the movement for a permanent court of arbitrative justice jus-tice and universal peace. The president summarized the con- w dition of the national defenses, and urged that a policy of "wise military preparation" he pursued. He emphasized empha-sized the fact that the American people peo-ple never would consent to the maintenance main-tenance of a standing army sufficient to cope with that of the greater powers. pow-ers. He urged the retention of the present regular army, the improvement improve-ment of the national militia, the passage pas-sage of the present volunteer hill to go into operation should war be declared, de-clared, and the passage of a law now before congress providing for a force of additional officers who will be "able in times of peace to render efficient effi-cient service In drilling the militia of the states," and finally the accumulation accumula-tion of guns and ammunition "to equip and arm the force we could collept under the colors in an emergency." |