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Show ou TAFT IS FOR' A STRONGER ARM! New York, Aug. 15. Former President Presi-dent W. H. Taft made a strong plea for preparedness in an interview just before his departure for Salt Lake City yesterday. Incidentally he indicated indi-cated his approval of the speech made by "Major General Leonard Wood at Pittsburg, -wherein the latter said that the perfectly asinine statement has been made that we can raise 1.000,000 men between sunrise and sunset. Mr. Taft said. "It would need 250,000 men successfully success-fully to Intervene In Mexico and to raise that number is a difficult task for a nation so unprepared in a military mili-tary .sense as we are. There is mo one as much in favor of peace as I am, but not in favor of that foolish sense of security which has no real foundation. "I feel very strongly upon the question ques-tion of national preparedness within reasonable limits. There ls no danger dan-ger of militarism here. It would be very difficult in this country with the ideas of people and the conditions that exist to have militarism in excessive ex-cessive form. "It is extremely foolish to assume as some do, that foreign nations will not take advantage of our state of unpreparedness if we make that condition con-dition too apparent. "Above everything else we must improve the navy and strengthen it I am very glad to see the change the subject has produced In Washington and there appears to be every prospect pros-pect that congress will now take the necessary steps to catch up with the position where the navy should be." Asked what he thought the actual strength of the army and navy should be so that "preparedness within reasonable rea-sonable limits" could be obtained, he replied that he thought the recommendations recom-mendations made by the army and navy experts of the advisory boards, If adopted, would achieve that, result. On the question of the situation In Mexico Mr. Taft did not hesitate to express his opinion with force. He sam; ' "We made a great mistake In being responsible for ousting Huerta. Had I been In office still I would have recognized Huerta, as certain other countries did, but even if there had been any doubt wo should have at least pursued the same course with him as pursued with Diaz, that ls, to have waited one year to see w.heth-'er w.heth-'er or not he was capable of restoring peace and security to the country "T Tirol, TT.. 0.1,1 - ll... .. i nuj rti 5iuu iu buu mat tne South American republics had been called into the conference to discuss dis-cuss the situation In Mexico. It is an extremely good plan to cultivate the good will of those countries and at the same, time show them ,that our interest in the Mexican situation does not proceed from selfish policy. They are our neighbors and wo should develop a neighborly spirit with them." -On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday Fri-day the former president will attend the sessions of the American Bar association as-sociation at Salt Lake City. He will then leave for Portland. Ore., where he will address the Northwestern Bar association and wll arrive at San Francisco on the evening of August 24. September 2 has been designated as "Taft day" at the Panama-Pacific exposition. |