The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-10-17
Uncle Sam Lacks Gun Factories-The
New Army Rifle.

New Army Rifle.
WASHINGTON, oct. 1.-THE work Of
equipping the troops of the regular army
with the new magazine rifle is progressing
as rapidly as the limited plant of Spring
field National Armory will permit. The
fabrication of the complex and accurate
machinery necessary to make the new
weapon required much time, and now the
plant is ~ running order; the output is
about $500 arms per year. As fast as the
arms are completed they are issued TO the
troops. and at this rate IL will be about
a year before our small army is brought
up to a modern standard by being supplied
with magazine guns. When this work is
accomplished the ordnance officers will
turn their attention to the militia. A sam
pie weapon has been sent to the national
guard of each State so that the men may
familiarize themselves with 1t, but at the
present rate of output it will be several
years at least before they can all be sup
piled.
This fact has deeply impressed some dis
tinguished military men in Washington,
taken in connection with the rather start
ling suggestions made by General Schofeld
In his ANIMAL report just published. touch
ing the insuficiency of our army in the
point of numerical strength, and his COM
parison of the United States with China
from a military standpoint 1t has always
been the proud boast or the pupnc men
who have resisted the establishment or a
good standing army, that, in case or a
hostile attack, the government could secure
a million volunteers in a day. To TINS
military experts of to-day are replying
by the question. what are we to do with
these raw volunteers. and how shall they
be armed?
One of the most distinguished tacticians
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 ne
made a rather surprising observation. Said
he: Having in view the incompleteness
of our scheme of coast defense, ana the
compared with the magnificent navies or
Europe, / have no hesitation in saying that
Ii Is entirely possible for at least two OF
the nations of Europe to land 100000 troops
pose with about so, 200 soldiers, 10000 being
of the regular army and $4,000 militia, for
/ am convinced that this is about our ef-
fective military strength 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. At requires, as
you see. much time TO do this, and L am
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 General Schofield rather understated
the case in comparing the United States
with China, but the fact is that we are
not nearly so well prepare by land or sea
to resist attack from even one European
power as was China to resist Japan. The
Incorporation IN effective force is even
greater, and for the United States to rely
on it's latent power and on it's vast popu-
lation and wealth is as wrong as was
China'S reliance on the same facts.