Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-12-03
THE ARMY.
No Ground For DemagOgic Defamation
Against MiIitarism.

l think 1t is only lack of foresight
that troubles us. not any hostility to
the army. There are. of course, fool
ish people who denounce any care of
the army or navy as ''militarism," but
l do not think that these people are
numerous. This country has to con-
tend now and has had TO contend in
the past with many evils. and there is
ample scope for all who would work
for reform. But there is not one evil
that now exists or that ever has exist
ed in this country which is or ever
has been owing in the smallest part
to miltariSm. Defamation against
militarism has no more serious place
III an earnest and intelligent move
ment for righteousness in this country
than defamation against the worship
of Baal or Astaroth. 1t Is declama-
ton against q nOneXistent evil, one
which never has existed in this coun-
try and which has not the slightest
chance of appearing here. We are
glad to help in any movement for in
ternational peace, but this is because
We sincerely believe that it is our duty
to help all such movements, provided
they are sane and rational, and not be-
cause there is any tendency toward
militarism on our part which needs
TO be cured. The evils we have to
fight are those in connection with in
dustrialiSm, not militarism. Industry
is always necessary, just as war is
sometimes necessary. Each has its
price, and industry in the United
States now exacts and has always ex-
acted far. heavier toll of death than
all our wars put together. The Stats
ties of the railroads of this country
for the year ended June 80. 1906, the
last contained In the annual statistical
report of the interstate commerce com
mission, show in that one year total
of 10S,324 casualties to persons, of
which 10,61S represent the number of
persons killed. In that wonderful hive
of human activity, Pittsburg, the
deaths due to industrial accidents in
1906 were 919, all the result of acct
dents In mills, mines or on railroads.
For the entire country. therefore 1t is
safe TO say that the deaths due 10 in
Custrial accidents aggregate IN the
neighborhood of 10000 a year. Such
record makes the death rate in all
our foreign wars utterly trivial by
comparison. The number of deaths in
battle in all the foreign wars put to-
gether for the last century and a quar-
ter aggregate considerably less than
one years death record for our indus
tries. A mere glance at these figures
is sufficient to show the absurdity of
the outcry against militarism.
But again and again i'll the past our
little regular army has rendered serv-
Ice literally vital to the country, and it
may at any time have to do 50 In the
future. Its standard of efficiency and
instruction is higher now than ever
in the past, but it is too small. There
are not enough officers, and 1t is i'm
possible to secure enough enlisted men.
We should maintain in peace a fairly
complete skeleton of large army. 4
great and long continued war would
have TO be fought by volunteers. but
months would pass before any large
body of efficient volunteers could be
put In the field, and our regular army
should be large enough to meet any
immediate need. In particular it is es
sential that we should possess q mum
Der of extra officers trained in peace
to perform efficiently the duties ur
gently required upon the breaking on
of war.
The medical corps should be mucf
larger than the needs of our regular
army in war. Yet at present 1t Is
smaller than the needs of the service
demand even in peace. The Spanish
war occurred less than ten years ago
The chief loss we suffered in it was
by disease among the regiments which
never left the country. At the mo
ment the nation seemed deeply impress
ed By this fact, yet seemingly it ha.
already been forgotten, for not the
slightest effort has been made to pre-
pare medical corps Of sufficient siz,
to prevent the repetition of the SAM
disaster on much larger scale il W,
should ever be engaged in a serious
conflict. The trouble in the Spanish
war was not with the then existin,
officials of the war department; it wa
with the representatives of the peopl
as whole who for the preceding thir
ty years had declined to make tn,
necessary provision for the army. Tn
less ample provision is now made b.
congress to put the medical corp
where 1t should be put disaster in tn
next war is inevitable. and the respon
sibility will not lie with those then Il
charge Of the war department, bu