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Show UNPREPAREDNESS Stung and prodded to action, tho administration, which hud failed to use appropriations at Its command to buy niachliiu guns or to utllUo available avail-able funds or material In propari'tlon for -unblllatluu or defense which had delned and still delays, thu beginning begin-ning of construction of war craft, great nnd small, long Blnee authorized authoriz-ed by Congress suddenly became the (i(Ui)cjto of great military and naal establishments. From decrying nil demand for preparedness as muro nervousness from seeing no cloud on tho horizon and being "too uroud lo light." tho President and his advisers suddenly saw jnarks all nrounJ and declared for continental armies of n I half million men and tho greatest na-i) na-i) In the world. Tho ndmlnlstiatlon has been as halting, wavering, nnd in-roiulBtcut in-roiulBtcut in its prepaiedness pelh-y as In nil others; as hysterical, impractical, im-practical, nnd unsound In Its rocent oitloiiB us It was slothful, Indifferent and luolllclent lu proper measures of d.'fense up to within tho lust few moi.ths. After having faced tho Mexican situation sit-uation for threo years with full realization real-ization of the possibilities which It presented and abundant tlmo'to mako preparation, tho calling out of tho National Guard Its equipment and mobilization developed n woeful condition con-dition of lock of propor distribution of equipment nnd nbsenco of plan or arrangement for quick nnd satisfactory satisfac-tory transportation. Roused from Its slothfulncss and lnnctlvlty nt tho last moment, the administration In re-fiponso re-fiponso to what it assumed to be n popular demand sought to outstrip all others In Its schemes of military and naval expenditures. In tlio meantime, however, not n blow 1ms been struck townrd tho bo-ginning bo-ginning of construction of two drend-iiaughts drend-iiaughts and various minor craft authorized au-thorized by Congress nearly a year nnd a half ngo. Hy their fruits j'e shall know them. lion. Frank W. Mondell. |
