The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-10-18
VERY NEAR HELPLESS
Such, 1t Is Said, Would Be the United
States in Case Of Invasion BY o
I. Foreign Power.
HAVE NO MODERN. ARMS
With Which to Equip an Army, Even
When One Should Have Been
Raised.
HAVE NO MODERN ARMS

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1.-THE work Of
equipping the troops of the regular
army with the new magazine rifles is
progressing as rapidly as the limited
plant Of the Springfield national armory
viii permit It. The fabrication of the
complex and accurate machinery neces-
sary to make the new weapon required
much time, and now the plant Ia In
running order. The output Ii about
Q 1000 arms per year. As fast as the
arms are completed they are issued TO
the troops, and at this rate it win be
about o year before our army is brought
mp to a modern standard, being supplied
with magazine guns. When this work
Ii accomplished, the ordnance officers
viii turn their attention to the militia.
A sample weapon has been sent 10 the
national guard of each state, SO that the
men may familiarize themselves with
it, but at the present rate of output ID
viii be 4
Several Years at Least
before they can be all supplied. This
tact has deeply impressed some dis
tinguished military men in Washing
ton, taken i'm connection with the rather
startling suggestions made by General
Schofield i'm his annual report just pub
lished touching the insufficiency of our
army in the point of numerical strength
and his comparison of the United States
with China from O military standpoint.
It has always been the proud boast Of
the public men who have resisted the
establishment of a good standing army.
that in case of O hostile attack, the gov
eminent could secure a million volun-
teers in a day. To this the military Elk.
perts Of today are replying by the ques-
ton: What are we to do with these
raw volunteers, and how shall they be
armed?"
Not Comfortable to Contemplate.
One Of the most distinguished tacti-
clans now living, who is perhaps more
familiar with our military resources
than any man in the country, has
asked this question. Following out
his line of reasoning, he made o rather
surprising observation. Said he: <
Having In view the the incomplete
ness OF our coast defense, and the abso-
lutte insignifcance of our navy when
compared with the magnificent navies
of Europe, / have no hesitancy in say
ing that it is entirely possible for at
least two of the nations of Europe to
land 100000 troops ON our Atlantic
coast. To these we can oppose with
about so, 900 soldiers, 10000 being of
the regular army and about 30, 900
militia, for / am convinced that il
about our effective military siren 9Th in
an emergency. In the course of time
we could add a great number of raw
volunteers. But the latter we cannot
arm and equip.
Understafed by Schofield.
"It requires, as You see, much time
to do this, and I ann of the opinion that
the foreign invaders would be able to
occupy st. Louis before we could make
the arms, for, of course, we would be
prevented by the neutrality acts from
purchasing abroad. / believe that Gen
eral Schofeld rather understated the
case In comparing the United States
with China, but the fact Ii that we are
not nearly SO well prepared by land or
sea TO resist an attack from even one
European power a was China to resist
Japan. The disproportion In effective
force is v greater, and for the United
States to rely upon its latent power and
ON it's vast population and wealth, Ia as
wrong as China's reliance on the same
faatGn