Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-03-14
VALUABLE LESSON.

Whether the present war scare"
with Spain really amounts to anything
or not, it will have been of i2calculable
benefit to this country in pointing out
some of the weak spots in our ma
tional defenses. W.T. have the men
and the money for any possible for
eign war; but men and money are not
the only essentials. They are not even
the prime essentials A man may have
a thousand dollars in his pocket, yet
if he is held up by a highwayman, he
and knows how to use it. The United
States is in much the same fix. With
unbounded wealth, resources and men,
we are illy-prepared for war; and 1t
is undeniable that the constant trend
of events for a generation past has
been in the direction of possible for
eign complications of serious nature;
while rejecting and far-seeing men
note that the immediate future will
probably largely increase this danger.
To be prepared for eventualities of this
sort simply means the exercise of the
same reasonable precautions which
good citizen uses when, although sur
rounded by entirely respectful and
peaceful neighboTs, he locks the door
of his residence when he retires for
~
made some preparations for possible
trou Bile when we laid the foundations
for a modern navy; but we simply
laid the foundations-an stopped. A
few battleships and cruisers were
built, manned and armed, but the pol
icy so inaugurated should have been
consistently and unremittingly fol-
lowed by substantial increases each
year, not alone in ships, but in their
ntion and general munitions, this
meaning as we'll the ability to quickly
produce as to have the finished product
on hand And in other essential re-
spects we have fallen far short of our
duty. The interests of the army have
been shamefully overlooked Of mod
ly enough to arm twenty thousand
men outside the regular standing
army, and our capacity to make such
arms is necessarily limited. Of the
National Guard of 116, 900 men, at least
100 900 are armed with the old As cal
ibre Springfield rife of the model of
1S73-an arm almost useless for mod
ern warfare. In great emergency and
in thirty days twenty-five thousand 80
calibre rifles might be put in the hands
of the National Guard. but the rest
would have to take the field with the
old arm and await their turn to get
better guns-and learn how to use
them after they received them In ar
tillery for field use we are even worse
off. Instead of government such as
this-to which the expense would be
utterly unworthy of consideration
having fifty batteries of breach-load-
| ing field pieces ready at hand in case
/ of emergency, with all the necessary
equipments. it is doubtful is a dozen
such batteries outside of those in the
| regular army could take the field in
| month.
The present emergency, such as it
I is, has taught the American people a
| great lesson-that in time of peace
they should be prepared for war. The
! cost would not be felt, and the fact
that We were always ready would give
| us immeasurable confidence and self
possession. II isn't question of men
or money-but there are needful things
| in time of national. as of individual
trouble which money will not buy on
the spur of the moment
Every member of the National
Guard Of all the States should have a