Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-05-12

| Special Correspondence.
I ONDON, May Excepting Rud-
yard Kipling. there isn't an au-
thor in this country who takes
greater interest in military
matters than Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
and probably not even Mr. Kiplng
spends as much time in considering
how Great Britain can best be defend
ed In case OF another war as does the
Burly doctor who would a little rather
not be reminded, nowadays, that he
created the redoubtable Sherlock
Holmes
No one, for instance, has taken q
more prominent part than Sir Arthur
IN the movement that is now on foot
20 increase the number Of effective
fighting men by encouraging rifle
shooting In all parts Of the United
Kingdom. Beside making many
speeches, and writing frequent articles
ON the subject, the author OF The
White Company" and "Brigadier Ger
ard recently set a practical example
by having "A miniature rifle range built
and inviting the young men of the
neighborhood to use It, and the result
IS that a regular rifle club now exists
IN the locality of which the novelist is
said to be one OF the best marksmen
and one Of the hottest members" gem
orally.
Now Sir Arthur has been struck
with the idea that the motorists OF this
country would be able to render an
important service IN case Great Brit
ain were invaded by foreign enemy
Like Mr.. Kipling, the creator OF Brig
adler Gerard" is an ecstatic devotee of
the motor car--havlng been fined once
or twice for exceeding the speed limit
and he has just written a letter TO
the London Times i'm which he explains
how he believes that the Automobiles
Of Great Britain could be utilized In
case a foreign army had landed on
the coast.
"Supposing," says DR.. Doyle, that
such an event had happened. Every
thing would depend upon swift action
so as to prevent any cavalry that
force might possess from pushing on
in small parties, cutting wires. blowing
UP bridges and generally disorgan-
izing the defence" So Sir Arthur goes
on to suggest that 1 1000 English mo-
florists should pledge themselves on
the first news OF such an invasion to
Instantly fill up their cars with picked
riflemen drawn from their own imme-
date neghborhood. and TO convey
them with a weeks food, their rides
and their ammunition TO the dagger
point Food, rifles and motor cars"
he says, ARE already to hand and
the only factor missing IL the ammuni-
ton 1000 rounds Of which should be
given by the government TO the keep
ing OF the motorlst who signifies his
Willingness to gerve--such ammunition
to be stored In his garage in time of
peace.
I'm this way" says DIR. Doyle, with
In very few hours, such n fringe OF
Irregular sclf-supporting rifemen
would be formed round the enemy,
that they could not push swiftly on,
or collect supplies without their pa
trolls being cut off. and an immediate
line of resistance would be formed be-
hind which the regular defence could
be prepared-all this without putting
any tax on the railways"
Or. Doylo adds that, once the motor
lists Of Great Britain had been organ
lied in this way, 1t would be easy to
test their efficacy, and evidently the au-
thor IL interested in learning how his
idea appeals to his fellow automobiles.
for he has asked those that approve of
II to communicate with the secretary of
the Legion Of Frontiersmen, the newly
formed volunteer organization of which
the author OF Sherlock Holmes is an
enthusiastic member
1t must be admitted, too that DR..
Doyle IL quite In the literary fashion
with his new plan Of defense for Eng
land, for at no previous time have 80
many authors on both sides OF the
channel been occupied with "anticlpa-
tons OF coming great war between
this country and some Continental
powcr-Germany for choice. There is
William le QueuX, for instance, whose
story Of the Invasion OF l9l0' IN now
running In the columns OF the Lon
don Mail--not 10 mention two Ger
man novellsts. 'Seestern" and "Beo-
wulf" who have recently published ro-
names dealing with a supposed con-
fict between Great Britain and the
Fatherland. But these writer's and one
or two others either made England
successful In the coming war, or else
made the struggle indecisive, and this
conclusion has been denounced az
false. misleading and humlliatlng for
the German nation" by still another
Teuton "Morlturus" by nom
re guerre-who has just published Il
work OF his own which is called with
the German Army via Paris TO Lon
don"
Here We have an attempt TO de-
scribe "the real course OF an Anglo
German war" and this, according TO
"Morituris," Is as follows, Germany,