The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-12-15

blscksmiths in their own business!
Do sculptors, doctors, lawyers, require
points on their profession from far
mere, sailors, or dry goods sales men!
: For heavens sake let the people whose
profession it is to take care of the
country and insure it by ships and
troops and guns-let them, say, take
care of it. Give them what they need.
They know what is required better
than we do. Then we can hold them
responsible.
The general schsme for protecting
our country, our commerce and our
homes from foreign aggression is di-
vided into the following sub-schemes:
First, patroling coasts with warsnips;
second, fortifying all great seaports
and ports ON the gulf and great lakes;
third, maintaining internal garrisons
sufficient to cope with Indians, auar-
chists and other savages.
Now, let us take our famous Fort
Hancock, for example, about which
mysterious fortress we know very lit
tie, and are supposed to know less,
which is eminently wise and right.
We will suppose it to contain heavy
guns of various calibers, groups of
mortars, automobile torpedoes, dy-
Mantle gun or two, and various appli-
auces for the proper placing Of sub
marine mines. Grant that it is invul-
nerable-when garrisoned. Where is
the garris on-the militia? Why, there
is not single regiment. battalion or
company in the National guard which
knows how to handle the smallest of
the guns in Fort Hancock. Where are
/ 4h, 80 -, E,.,,, ~Lo, 49,
Where are the men to signal, to load,
to fire, to direct the placing of mines,
| or to place them, to direct the torpe-
does? How far would our poor little
force of heavy artillery 10000 or
1000 gallant fellows-how far would
they go to man the forts needed for
New York harbor alone? With no
heavy artillery in the National guard,
with but a handful of regulars for the
defense of thousands of miles of sea-
coast, where, in Gods name, are we to
turn to find artillerists to man our
forts when we have them? Artillerists
are not made in dag, nor in 800 days.
DO you expect your sons to become
doctors. artists, lawyers, brokers,
bookkeepers by merely saying that
they shall be? Do You not send them
to law schools, trad schools, CONNER
cial schools, or what is perhaps as
good, do you not give them proctical
experience in lawyers office, in hos
pitfalls, in Wall street, in great stores
and offices?
The men of the fire brigade of New
York are not amateurs. If they were,
in the present ear, the city would have
been in ashes long ago.
And ypt wa are frI1GtiOO tn inn0.
cent, unskilled amateurs the task of
fighting greater conflagration which
may and may not come tomorrow.
1t is not only cruel and inhuman; it
is dense stupidity. And we are sup
posed to be the sharpest, keenest and
most practical people on earth. Hsec
olim meminisse juvabit And [ am no
Cassandra. What does rich man do
to protect valuable fruit orchard?
He pays men to protect it. What does
poor man do to protect his own? He
takes gun across his knees and
watches. This is no country for classes;
the rich and poor are entitled to the
same protection, but rich and poor are
compelled by every moral law to pro-
| tect their common home, not by pay
ing others to do so, but by doing so
| themselves. When q common danger
threatens, the poor cannot afford to
hire defense, and the rich should stand
by the poor and give what the poor
give-themselves.
There it is; the word has been said !;
it is ourselves we must give for the
common defense; it is to ourselves we
must look for the material with which
to render formidable the great stock
AIDES of common home, the United
| States. We owe it to our traditions, to
our great trust which is the legacy of
our ancestors, to our own people, our
families. Preparation is a guarantee of
of peace; we shall never have war
if we are always prepared for it.
And it is not war of conquest or ag-
gression that we should be prepared
for, it it the simple fence around our
own people, the stockade around our
homes, the insurance of continuance
of national and individual life and of
honorable prosperity.
And the men who would weaken our
defense-politicians, aliens, anarchists,
eace-at-any-pricists, copperheads, ar
bitrationists-are SHINING the sins of
stupidity or treason, which neither
our children, our ancestors, nor God
will forgive.
Why should we not serve, in graft
tude, our country rs we profess to
serve God Why should we not serve
our land as we serve our parents, who
have sheltered US If they are in need,
our first efforts are to make them COM
Portable and secure. Now, our land is
in need, and shall we not give her ali
that is best-ourselves? For the time
has come when the defenses of home
and country must be raised and man
ned; when splendid insurance must
be placed upon all that we honor and
love and hold sacred.
How can this be accomplished? There
are several ways. The increase of the
infantry, engineer and artillery arms
of the service is one way. An increase
of the cavalry would naturally follow,
for it is to the cavalry we should nat
urally look for the policing of The in.
terror. Your Indian and anarchist
loathe and fear cavalry as the devil
breads holy water. In addition to this,
a division of fortress cavalry could be
created.
The other arm of the national de-
Tense should also receive proper atten-
ton; the feet in that case would be
largely augmented. Battleships, har-
bor-defense monitors and scores Of
torpedo boats of the first class are
needed, not in the dim future, but
very soon. Gunners, engineers, stok
ers, of course, would be necessary;
q IA " in ha Aa.,i