The western recorder., 1898-03-17
NOT READY FOR WAR.
THE SITUATION OF THIS NATION
While We Have Immense Resources IL
Would Require Long Time TO Pre-
pare for Actual Fighting.

Some time ago Representative Hill
born OF California delivered an address
to the students of the University OF
Chicngo upon our military helplessness.
II will be remembered that his disclos-
ures caused quite n sensation, and
when Congress assembled half dozen
earnest patriots went to the Navy De
partment to obtain material TO reply
to him from the floor of the House.
But they We're Informed by Secretary
Long that the records of the depart
ment sustained MIR. IIllborn's state
men;s and that Il would he better for
Congress to vote money to place the
navy and the army In a proper condi-
ton than TO indulge in n debate which
would only expose our weakness to for
eign powers. ~
Every officer OF the army and navy.
almost without exception. who Is conf
petent to speak, Will tell you that Spain
is much better prepared for war than
the United States. and that II Is prob
able that II would be victorious in the
first two or three battles. although we
would certainly WIN In the end.
a man who knows said: 'If all the
powder factories in the country We're
kept running night and day Il would
take seven months for them to pile up
ammunition enough to make II safe
for us TO begin shooting. There is not
enough ammunition in sight to-day to
half fill the magazines of our navy or
half the easements of half our coast
lefenses. The new guns, the big ones,
takes half n ton OF powder every time
they are fired, and II must be n certain
kind of powder In order to make them
effective. IL we should use the old
fashioned powder in one Of those big
rfftAe tho xrntttI ..ln n WA u
for u week. All the powder factories
are now running on government orders
TO their full capacity. and they are
turning out some pretty good stun. but
we are not ready for n battle by good
deal, and we don't want To lose the
first one IL we have got TO fight We
don't want any Bull Runs In the next
war.
There is no doubt that we could
raise an army of 5,0OO.O men. and We
could equip them with polieemen's
clubs in few weeks. but we could
not make arms enough for such II
force for several years. While there
are probably 5.0OO.O0O rifles and shot
guns and other shooting irons in the
country. they would be practically use
less. and there are not enough modern
rifles in reach to-day to arm the exist
ing militia. In most of the states The
militia are carrying Springfield rifles
that were made in 1873. In other
states lley have Peabody, Sharp's
Spencer. Martini. Remington and Whit.
ney rides. which from the inspectors
reports range from ''wrctched" up &c
fair" In condition. In several of our
armories and nrsenals, both OF the reg
ulnr and state troops. we have Gntling
guns. breech-loading rifles of two-inct
and three-inch calibrc. twelve-pound
Napoleons. Parrot guns and other OBJ
solete ordnance which would have
been condemned long ago in any other
army than that of the United States
while the artillery harness Is absolutely
worthless.
"If the militia of the United State,
were to be called TO arms to-day no
more than onc-third OF the men could
pass an ordinary inspection, and tn,
regulars are not too well supplied
The greatest difficulty with the mllitil
would be the variety of their equip
ments and the fact that they carr,
arms that are obsolete, and very LITTLE
ammunition * made for them any
more. We have military storehouse,
Mt Philadelphia. Jefrcrsonville. st
Louis and San Francisco, hut the mn
terlal on hand would not he sufiicien
to equip the regular army II II wcr,
called into Gction. OF course we hnv,
grent resources. We are n remark
able people. We could do all that need,
to he done quicker and better thar
any other nation on earth, but the
younGster spoke the truth who said
that even God could not make two
year-old colt In n minute"