The Mena star., 1898-03-09
READINESS FOR WAR.
The Army and Navy Journal Sizes Up
 the Present Situation.
Lessons Taught by the Great Civil War Should Be Heeded-Colored Troops Especially Fitted for serv-
 ice in Cuba.

BOSTON, March 7.--The Army and Navy Journal in this weeks issue pub fishes long article under the head Preparing for War" in which the sit uation is carefully reviewed and the necessity of the hour made clear In part the article says:
 Uprising That Would Shake the World.
 In case of extremity there would be such an uprising of great people as would shake the world It is not numbers or zeal we lack but experience and an appreciation of the necess- ties Of military service The country is still full of old soldiers of large experience who are no longer fit for active duty, but whose counsel and guidance would be invaluable if those needing It were wise enough to make use of it. The grave danger is that ignorant and over confident assumption would be allowed to usurp the place of knowledge.
 Thousands of Available Young Men. If there is even remote possibility of war; congress should without delay pass the artil- lery bill and follow it immediately with the bill providing a three e-battalion organization for the infantry. With these two bills upon the statute book, and the bar upon enlistments re- moved, we could expand our army at once into an encient organization of over 100. 900 men, all of them trained soldiers for there are thou sands of young men who have been educated in our own or other armies who would flock to the colors at once if they saw prospect Of act- i've service.
 Colored Soldiers Fitted for Service in Cuba-
 We would expand our four colored regiments into an efficient force of l2 regiments or bat talions, composed of men especially fitted for duty ll the malarious climate of Cuba. We could man every battery. and by calling into the service the young men who have had a theoretical instruction and practical experi- ence with electrical appliances, many of whom have had a training in our national academies we could enlarge our corps of torpedoists to proper dimensions At the artillery school and at Willets Point the men to direct them are re- ceiving instructions already.
 Fatal Effects of Ignorance.
 In this way we could establish at once an efficient first line, besides which the state troops could be organized and prepared for the held, instead of being hurried to their death under the lead of men with more zeal and in- huence than knowledge. The lessons of our civil war are so recent, the evidence of its mis- management in the early stages are so appar- ent In our great debt, and our enormous pen sion roll, that only criminal negligence can prevent us from availing ourselves of them. In the way suggested we could insure efficient action immediately. instead of reaching it over the thorny road of useless sacrifices and na- honal humiliation.
 The article then outlines the prepa- rations for the defense of New York city with fish torpedoes and submarine mines, and states that rapid movement in this direction is the all-important thing in defending the coast cities. It states that the system of submarine mines would be d most formidable weapon for us to use in war with Spain. The cost of single torpedo and it's charge and equipment is stated to be about $9, 900, and it may be seen at once that mine system of 100 tor pedoes would cost about S2O0, 000 This would make five lines of torpedoes, each line nearly one-half mile in ex- tent. These lines are placed diagonal ly across the narrow channel and effectuaily bar out hostile vessels.