The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1910-12-21
SAYS This coua.ry IS al tie aerey OF Aay
Foreign Enemy Says
REPORT TO CONGRESS
General Wood Confirms Startling
Deeai,s-He, m IN Examination
Before House Committee, Points
Out Nations weakness-Hoosoa
Proposes Sa.iona, Defense Council.

A sensational report from the WEI
department showing that the County
ts tnadeaaa.ely protected asa'ass
invasion from foreign governments
vas sent to the house "Wednesday as
a secret document and. after mum
ha, Of conferences and hurried :ele-
rhone messages, wss returned 20 the
xs- department on the ground eaal
tse house could not receive q secret
report
Members who saw the document
hesore It's withdrawal say t Ii re-
nort OF ]. u. Dickinson. secretary o.
var: that It points out that the coun-
Try In wholly unprepared: that eae'e
,s 8 woesul ,nadeouacy OF men. O.
guns and OF ammunition: that the
army should be ,eorsan!zsd and thai
q council OF national defense. Win
the secretary Of var at It's aeao.
snould Be created by congress TIC
,eoor. OF Cen Wood. which vas
marked ..conaden,lal." dealt With
these matters and gave official ac-
mission to matters that are OF more
or less common knowledge anoes
amy and navy experts IN this eeua-
r and abroad. n fact. the 1eai
s.eniscance OF tie document IS that
n makes Official admissions Or these
conditions.
Gem. Wood. IN his testimony be-
fore the house military committee
furnished some pf the Eost
Interesting information ever stfen
before that body. He discussed sae
xho,e sus,ec. Of national defense.
told where the weak points lay. and
laid particular emphasis on the pos
sshiI:sy OF attack from the Orient.
s.6id no: give vent TO any alarn!s'
viexs as Co danger Of any !nnediat"
fnvasioas, but talked eoanoentia1iS
OF the need Of changes - psndeai
ana valuable. to guard against eou-
Die from Japan os China
Representative NacLsch!an. the
author OF tie resolution rhssS
brought the oac!al exposition OF the
weakness Of the mil;s-y defense. said
today:
"A foreign country could land
100000 troops on the Pacific coast
I. 80 dsys, and the only !Htsmat!oo
q. trouble would be the blowing up
Of the mountain passes. thus pre-
venting any communication with the
East IN the three States west OF
the Rocky mouneains-caHtorn.a
OREGON and Washinston-we nave
5000 regular troops and 5000 State
un,ns.amen. TIE Best military aH-
,ho,:e!es say that It would take years
70 eislodge foreign troops 4 they
eyer 20. q soo.hold under these coz
ditions, and ea.a. 4 would cost the
United States 5!!fen Of dollar
The bin introduced today by KEEP
rescnea.ive Hobson provides for
national council fer cefanse and Is
the result Of his conference Wild
President Taft. Secretary Dickinson
snd other officials
The war departments precaneion
TO protect the report led to sers-
ous .n.1-up in the house. The re
port was marked Confidential. but
that precartion was Indicated only
On a par. OF the document In the
routine handling OF the report It was
passed along with other executive
documents 20 the clerks Once
whare saeh matters arss open to puo-
ae inspection. but almost instantly
I.s confidential nature wss ciscov-
.-ed and Il was withdrawn to the
privacy OF the speakers osscs-
Ate. looking into the preceoeaes
the speaker concluded that there was
40 warrant sor the reception OF the
report as q confidential connunsca-
ton. There &c returned it to Secre-
.a-y Dickinson with polite letter
calling attention 20 tae -uies o. the
house, which require all oEistnaH.
executed communications to be
printed
The secretary received this iette'
very late In the day and consequent
" withheld his answer untn eono:
row. It In probable that he vi!
withhold from the house the AZ
pendiees to the original report
which. after all, contained the on!'
really confidential matter and -csua
u,.. the document. om!tt.rg the in
f..x~k>-al no~ SGooco