Devils Lake inter-ocean and Devils Lake free press. (Devils Lake, Ramsey County, N.D.) 1905-1909, 1907-12-06
THE ARMY.

THE ARMY. !. /
No Ground For Defnagogic Defamation
Against hiilitarism. j
think it is only lack Of foresight
that troubles us, not any hostility to
the army. There are. Of course. fool
fsh people who denounce any care of
the army or navy as '.militarisn,Ytb but
do not think. that these people are
numerous. This country %has to con-
tend now and has had toycontend 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 militarism.. Defamation against,
militarism has no more SERIOUS place
In 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 a 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&i is our duty
to help all such movements, provided
they are sane and rational;and not be-:
cause there Is any tendency toward
m11tarism 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 theSi United
States now exacts and. has always ex.t
acted far heavier toll Of death than;
all our wars put together. The statis-
tics Of the railroads of this country
for the year ended June 30. 1906, the
last contained in the annual statistical
report of the Interstate commerce COM.
mission, show In that one year a,total
of : 10s, S24$ casualties to persons Of.
which 1868 represent the number Of
persons killed. In that wonderful hive;
Of human activity, !. Pittsburg, the
deaths due to Industrial accidents in
1906 We're 919, all the result of acct
dents In mills, mines or on railroads.
For the entire country, therefore. lit is
safe to say that the deaths due Is In
.dustrfal accidents aggregate ::sn3 the
neigh borhood Of 10000 a year. Such.
g record makes the death rate i'd all
our foreign wars utterly trivial by:
compar ison. Il The number Of deaths in
battle IN all the foreign wars put to-
3gether for the last century ana a quar-
ter ger aggregate consid erably less than,
one years iea th record for our indus
tries: a mere glance; at these figures
is sufficient to show; the absurditys Of
the -outcrys against nilitarisna. s.
III n But again and again In the past Our
little regular army has rendered sery-
Ice literally vital toE the country. and it
may at any time have to do % III tie
future. Its standard Of efficiency and
Instruction 70 ri Cher now than ever
tn the past but It lie too small. There
are not enough officers, ana Sit Ii I'm
possible to secure enough enlisted men
We should maintain lii peace q fairly
comp ete skeleton ofl a large army.
great and long cont nued va i would.
hayezt be Tough 5by volunteers, but
4 months ~ would pass before any large
body Of efficient Yolinteers could be
put u the field ana our regular army
should 81 be large enough to meet any
,immedi ate need. 81 Ia ocular III i'll es-l5
ssntial that we sho uld possess Ii11 q.
Der of extrn officers trained III peace Ice,
TO perform efficiently the duties srir-
gently required upon the breaking ont out
sof war.
Z The medical corps should bes much
larger than the needs or our regnI arS
army arm IN YYets at present i'll isl3
smaller than the needs Of the service
demand even ia peace. me Spanish
war occurred less than ten years ago.
The chief loss we snffr ered fn III was
;by disease among the regfIne ZEN Is which
never left the ALL II he no
sment the nation seemed deeply Impress
Nd this fact yet seemingly ii has
already been fforgo ten, for saot tthe
slightest effort has been ma de It's 1nrss
pare a med lcai corps Of Client size
fo preFent the repetition Tie same
on ~ much larger scale liz No
should ever BID engaged gSln 81 serious
conflc The trouble I'll IL ass spa isi,
war NOT With the then existing
ofiiciai us of the war depart nae1it twas
with }{s N vas ~ &s,s
slss whole for the ttllir.
years had dec lined MA lie ]
necessary 7roTisio Tor arm,
less amp PROV sion iis slaosy5 made bg
fsrlgress to the lical corps
here IL should be put al Rter Id HE
next resp
ability not 10 ian arsl
sdiapa meat