IF WAR OCCURRED ?

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 130, 25 February 1908, Page 7

IF WAR OCCURRED ?

REMARKABLE SPEECHES. MR. TAFT ON |AM ERICA'S. DEFENCES. : IF JAPAN. WEIIE TO FIGHT. ;di TKi.EanArn—ntEss association—conitianT. '(Rec. Feb. 25, 0.37 a.m.) ; MOW York, February 24. On the occasion of tho anniversary of ' Washington's birthday, Mr. Taft, Secretary for War, and a candidato.for.tlie Republican •nomination for tho Presidency, made an interesting speech at Buffalo. He emphasised America's ur.preparednoss. for war, and added: ' Wo aro making the navy moro respectablo yearly, and aro hopeful;-. ; ' tliat ' Congress will - mako tho army . v proper tho nucleus of a rapid- dofence,'; and.-will-make it 1 into a force ~, 'commensurate with our population; - -, ancl.' thb jurisdiction ' '• .' oxerciso. ; ; Mr.- Taft added .that the .coast . defences of .'Hawaiij'tho Philippines, and thai Isthmian ■Canal ; were, still incomplete; In tho event ,:of Avar" this delay wouldl justify i the severestcondemnation-. He concluded; • ■'vOur defence' is 'slowly improving,''/.- ; . and if. war is : averted'for. »• decade,-it-'Will be in;a ;botter condition than.'.:,., • : ... it has over been before. '' ,V W; • General > Frederick / Granty of New York, also dwolt on America's unpreparedness. Ho 'declared-that in the event of a conflict with Japan,..tho,-'Uiiited, States '.would need a, million troops to garrison tho Pacific Coast, and n million troops to garrison tho Atlantic Coast V while,if .fa; great. Power overwhelmed ';tho ! 'navy, 'only, a 'siege could expel 50,000 of !tho.',enemy,;;if',tiiey,:ianded,'at Montauk Point, Long Island. ;'. , ,