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Show TAFT POINTS OUT AMERICAN DANGER Somen ille, Mass.. D'ec T Assumption Assump-tion hv congress of authority to prevent pre-vent states from vtolavfhg, by lavless violence, United States treaties would do more ;o prevent the possibility of war between this nation and another than increasing the army and navy, former President William Howard Taft declared tonight in an addres before the Heptorean club "The only real possibility of a war that I can foresee is the wanton, reck less, vicked willingness on the part c,f a narrow section of the country j 'o gratify racial prejudice and class: latred by flagrant breach of treat?' rights In the form of state law, or! by lawless violence," he said. "Congress should at once assume j authority for the national government to see to it that it can not be dragged Into international difficulties through such blind belfishnesB, ajid this step vould be quite as effective as mi proving our military defenses. Indeed, In-deed, I think it would be more effective ef-fective to prevent the possibility oi war ' No State Named. Congress could delegate power to the national government, to the pres ident and federal courts. Mr Taft ''.aid, which would insure aliens peace ill residence and the right to do business busi-ness ir this country. Mr. Taft did not nume any tate in this connection While deprecating the mild hysteria!' hys-teria!' regarding this country s defenses, de-fenses, Mr. Taft admitted that parts of the army and navy should be strengthened. He would Increase tho army from L'n to 50 per cent, insure the navy enough men tc man the reserve re-serve vessels and provide new artil lerj, chiefly for coast defenses. "There is no necessity for great ex JitemenC" he said What should be done can be done In a short time and with no excessive expenditure. 'it i Haid that our coast defenses have no artillery with a range long; 'nough to resist the attacks of some of the naval artillery that could be i brought agiinst them ' Thb is true; but I venture to think j 1 hat ui. attack upon our coast fortifi-1 cations out of range of guns we have 1 .:i them w juld not he likely to re j rult olther in their destruction or sui- render, but that is no reason why with; j'he df-velopment of guns of longer I range we can not have enough of I them (not many are needed) and have ; them within a reasonable lime and at a reasonable cu-u Our coast defenses are otherwise quite complete for the resistance to naval attack and with congressiona I provision for the new guns in ar. .ippropriation bill can make a successful suc-cessful naval attack upon them en tit ely out of the question Were we to be called into a war in an emergency emerg-ency we would not have a standing army of the size of the standing ?rmies of the nations of Europe or Japan. We don't need it to resist their attack if Ve have a good navy r.nd good coast defenses, because the difticulties of transposition of n.larg-1 army with a modern navy of the siz' of our navy with torpedo boats aud submarines to resist it would be insuperable." in-superable." Need Often Urged. Knowledge of the need of improvements improve-ments ts not new. Mr Taft said, as the attention of congress often ha? hcen called to existing conditions, hut appropriations have not been 'orthcoming. More officers should be trained, he held, ar.d suggested this might be accomplished ac-complished by providing another West Point giving free education to who agreed to serve three year.-, with the colors. The national guards he said, should be improved, and res ponahli appropriations would hring good results. The Amerii an people in said, would not endure conscrlp 'ion In times of peace and this method d Increasing the army could not be resorted to The present war. Mr. Taft remark-' remark-' d, showed that the day has not arrived ar-rived when the possibility of war can be removed by treat or arbitration "Treaties establishing courts for ibe 8oitlement of International con iroversies," he continued, "to have proper sanction and utility, musl be made by ctrong governments maintaining main-taining peace and order within their own boundaries and supported hv n contented poople. As lon as govern-'uonts govern-'uonts are unjust and tyrannical the possibility of wars or revolution cannot can-not disappear and ought not to disappear disap-pear We must recognize that war has done much in the past for the progress of civilization and that the character of the government in many countries has not reached that benov-elent benov-elent and just stage which would make revolution unjustifiable Th'- piesent ar demonstrates that treaties mav be broken and Just tights violated by nations in the firs rank ol civilization Therefore, what the wise optimists in the matter of peaceful means Ol settling Internationa' Interna-tiona' disputes should look for Is not a panacea to abolish war, hut peaceful peace-ful means which may he substituted for vnr by nations which wish to pvoid it. so that wars may be made less likely thereby by the adoption cf such means than without them" |