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Show PREPAREDNESS ' ' -U Speech of the Honorable James R. I iH Mann, Republican Leader of the iH House of Representatives, Delivered H j in Congress, Tuesdajr Afternoon, ' iH January 25, 1916. ' James F. Mann Tells Why "It Is I Wise For Us Now to Begin Ol.r Preparation." If Europe's Fighting Nations Can Wipe Out Party Lines to Prosecute War, So Can the Unl-i ted States to Prevent War. Home1 Industries Should Be Strengthened As Part of Our National Defense. Mr. Mann Mr. Speaker, In tho quietude of my garden lnt summer and autumn I rncluM eortnln conclusions conclu-sions which 1 have hesitated to express, ex-press, thinking thnt I mlnht modifr them. But na time hns gono on and ovents havo occurred It seemed to mo moro rortniu that my conclusions wero right than even when I first reached them, nnd I think, In Just loo to myself, nnd I nopo with somo alight benefit to tho country, I ousht to express thoso conclusions to tho House. It Is well known In tho Houso that I never havo been a boliovor in a largo standing Army, nnd I suppose thnt I havo been probably properly classed In what la sometimes referred refer-red to ns tho llttlo Navy men. Cut i v Iso men ought to ho able to peer, maybo IndlBtlnctly, into tho future, nnd to prepnro today for what may como tomorrow. Tho wor'tl Is In tho most nnomnloiiB candltlon which mnnklnd has over seen. Tho greatest great-est struggle of all tho agc3 is going on now between the most powerful forces of tho hiunnn rnce, between great nations and combinations of nntlons, until e nro tho only largo, poworfut nation not yet Involved In thnt struggle It Is n brenkup In tho world, each sldo not merely fighting for its own existence, na it believes hut, as It seems to mo, each side fighting with tho determination to. put tho other side, as It wcro, out of business. Wo have never had such n thing In tho world boforo, with tbo samo powerful Influences nt work. Tho laws "f civilization Interna-tionn" Interna-tionn" lnws, the lawB of humanity, nro usually disregarded, at least moro or less, when two great forces uro lighting light-ing for mastery. With two men dgbt-Jng, dgbt-Jng, each believing thnt be Is fighting for his llfo, each determined to tnko tho lifo of tho other, neither pnys much nttentlon to the desires, tho requests or the demands of somo less powerful person not enguged In tho conflict. I do not know, nnd no ono knn-vs, what will resu't from tho prcent war. No ono knows whether tho ng-gresslon ng-gresslon cf ono sldo or the other against our interests, may possibly, pos-sibly, against eur desires nnd contrary con-trary to our wishes now, finally 'ead us, perhaps not Into this Htrugglo but Into somo strngglo whlchMs the gut-como gut-como cf this nno. I doubt whether n paper peaco between tho two struggling strug-gling parties now, oven If It could bo entered Into, would bo even tho, beginning be-ginning ot tho end. I think tho present pres-ent conflict Is llke'y to last for many years boforo It is definitely '!! tormlncd either thnt ono sldo or tho other is tho master or thnt neither enn becomo tho master. And U seems to mo that tho part of wisdom for us Is to fairly prepare ourselves for any posslblo troublo which may como. (Loud npplnuso. It may bo that wo wilr havo no troublo. I hopo not. In this war I am neutral. I think wp ought w maintain peaco at all lmxarcU. And yet tho timo may come, wlion we wl not havo tho determination whether, wo i can maintain peaco or not, because however much wo may desire peaco, It is not within our power, with tho feelings which wo, have, to stand aggiesslon too far. It wl'l be expensive to prepnro for pence. Two years ago a billion dollars dol-lars seemed a very largo fum nf wcr?. 'o 'no would have believed two years &SJ that either England or Germany cou'd carry on a war at th oxpenso already Involved, nmountlng to billions of dollars, on expenso so great that tho Interest on tho Indebtedness Indebt-edness would bo bufllclent ordinarily to maintain tho gqvornment work. And the end of that Indebtedness Is not in sight, What may como out f such Imraenso burdens of debt In theso countries, oven when peace may bo dec'nrcd, no ono can tell Bcvolutlonn aro not Improbable, and i evolutions in tho history of tho orld havo usually load to aggresBlon and disputes, and often to war with other countries. Wo can better nt ford today to spond hundreds of millions mil-lions of dollars, or a few billions of dollars, In ample preparation tor trouble, and avoid It if possible than allli o can to wait for troublo ami their H spend untold lill ions before wo nro tlu.-illy victors, ns wo would bo. (Ap- , .IH plause.) If wo are involved in no 2j H trouble wo wl'l bo getting off cheap- fc H ly with tho expenditures for prcpnr- J IH uti'ju. If we fchould be involved in tioiible the money wc spend now will H bo worth umuyfolii thnt which wr wou'd spend after tlio trouble began. jj 1 know the gentlemen nro sincere , , i H in their belief that thero will bo no ., trouble, I sympathize with those I J who prefer to spend tho mbney of li ' J tho peoplo In the way of Investment H and aid of our own peoplo nt homo, j H lather thnu for tho support of Ullo i ' H armies or ualcs. But when troublo ; H does come, If It should come, thcru J H would bo no dissenting voice ngalnst j ' H spending all our means, If necessary I jV H to defend our country mid our homes j jvrH nnd It wcro wlso for us now, It scemjt j H to me, to begin our preparation. j ,' -jH I do not Intend to. .discuss tho da- ' H tails, though I have reached the con- J H elusion myself that It wcro wd'l, na j H an emergency mensuro, to lncrcnst-r , -; our regular Army to 250,000 or 300,- l ' MMm 000, or even half a million men (np- J ' lliuusu uii iiu; ivuiiiiuiicuil nmu , 111,11. aaBH wo shou d increase or provide our H fortifications ro that our coasts may 0 fl bo fairly, amply protected, and thnt y jt J wo should provide n Navy which will j fl ho nblo tn defend us on tho sen, I 1 mmM havo much moro fear In the end of jl J vvnr with England than I havo - ' ' H war with (lermnuy. (Applnuso.) 'j t Events nro coming rnpid'y In thu ''tl world. Wo may Mt by and wnlt in j iiH contentment, and yet It Is our dutv, j ' as tho mnnagcra of a great country j, j , ' r.M and a powerful peoplo, to provldo for I ; 1 l their protection against possibilities l it ''H ns well aB against certainties. .1 ' , B think, then, that wc ought to provldo i'i'MI theso great forces;, thnt it ought t o 3'' ( -H be considered -"-a an emergency mat- - ' lH tor entirely apart from tho ordinary . -; Iroutlno or oxpenso of government, j ' t, without regard to partlranshlp or par- 1 1 , , ;H ly Hues. (Applause.) If England unl ij) H France nnd Germany nnd Itnly can lj, 'H consider their problems without pnr- Jjj' ,! ty lines, a country llkn ours ou'tht 'j!, iH to bo nblo to sweep nsldo moro parti- i ?' J'H Ban considerations nnd try tn stand to" '.M together, loyal to tho country, In ' '',S tho effort tn aid tho administration Ml' 'H of tho government, ' jH I think, further, thnt wo ought to j , 'H provide (n somo way for tho building i 'H up nnd tho strengthening nf cur homo i' vH industries, so that It wo shall be- J I kH como Involved In war wo may bo ab'.o, i , to llvo within ourselves. (Applause). f fmmU And I think as far as posslb'o thnt j kH question should bo consldcrol entire- i liil ly npnrt from former partisan opinion i? il'H In the hope thnt In uonr vva, we may jj f j iU pet together In the Interest of our ' ill V country, If wc should becomo In- ! jj H volvcd In a sti' ggle with u foreign ! j power. ij JP I havo spoken thus very brlelly, t ' nut with ihetorlc or fancy phrase, he- t) 1 J tauso t seems tn mo that if thore uv. jl';' 1 -: or was a time in tho history of our J ' , country when wo ought to Invite nnd iyjj; :H receive oxprossluns of opinion from n u nil sldos, this Is cue nf the times, III! MiH with a firm dctcrmlnntlon that out MAv ' 11 of It wo wil bring results; a comblu TO! I il ntlon of tho oplnloni of all. without Hllt.iaLH ovpresslng tho views of any, which V" ' ll' ' H wo and nil of our people may stand j! H for, that wo may uphold In the tu- ffM: luro our national honor uml cur ua- H'Ji tionn' Integrity, nnd, It seems to me, , H possibly our modern civilization, that . m, j'-U I fear may break down en the other ," j H side of tho water. Let us try to Ml , H think what Is for tho best of our fcj ' H country, what wo would do. If wo hmr, ! ( j M each one, tho supremo nutho-lty nnr 1 I -'( responslhl lty If it were placed urnir j j & -H each I"" In determine Y.",-"-?r l"1' i i ! ' lH would t-Vo the chnnro of dl'ni'T I v j t , 'lie future, or prepnr" now t- nrpypr Lt ' j H hat dlenster. (I'roonged npplnusa.'J a j H |