The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1910-05-19
JAPANESE D SG oR2EE FIVE ApE3 S TROOPS OF

THIS SORT COULD
Tacoma Times, Portland News, San
Francisco News and Spokane Press,
Representative McLachlan dis
played the most intimate knowledge
of both the strength and weak
nesses of the militray arm of the
government in not providing the
coast states with even sufficient
military protection to prevent their
occupation in case of war with
Japan. 3.
The speaker, after reading a re-
quest from Mr.. B. H. Garfield, rep
resenting the papers mentioned, re-
questing that the government be
interrogated concerning the state
of the defense of the coast states,
in ciew of the charges made by
public men to the effect that the
coast could be readily occupied by
an invading army Of Japanese.
charged that our defenselessness
was known to every officer in the
armies of the world, and that only
the American people were held In
ignorance by the government.
The costly system of coast de-
lenses installed during the past
two decades at a cost of 100000
600 were characterized by the
SPEAKER as being more dangerous
to the cities they were supposed
to defend than to an enemy, owing
to the absence of mobile troops to
protect the big guns from land at
tack. The fact that the capture OF
every sea coast gun could be eff
fected without a single shot being
fired from one of them, owing to
their empocement being such tnat
they can be fired only toward the
sea. was declared by the speaker
as admitted even by the chief OF
coast artillery, Gen. Murray.
1t was charged by the speaker
that it was common knowledge
among the military authorities that
every mile on the Pacific coast had
been charted by Japanese naval Of
ficers, and that Japanese engineers
resident in this country had mark
ed every tunnel, culvert and bridge
Ou Tic lam ctA'o
in the mountain passes for demoli-
ton. The severance of commun1-
cation with the east, the speaker
declared, would offer opportunity
to Japan to pour an army OF
trained soldiers through to the
mountain passes and so fortify
them that no frorce We could raise
could force their dislodgment. This
startling statement, the speaker
challeneg the government to deny,
as even differing from reports
made to the government by mill
tary experts who had been detailed
to study out the problems OF a
Japanese invasion of the Pacific
states.
While paying tribute to tho
militia of the several states FOR
the efficiency In military art
acquired, Representative Nc
Lachlan characterized the
sending Of partly trained citi-
zen soldiers against trained
REGULARS ar "murder," and the
fact that in our wars the cow
eminent had sent armies 81
men to the field unhabituateW
to the duties Of a soldier, thu
speaker said, made "this natioH
in it's military operations thh
greatest spendthrift Of life
ancient or modern times" Id
The statistics of the civil 4pd
Spanish wars, showing the deafps
from disease In camps owingHo
the troops being unframed In r.
ing for themselves in the field, vas
offered by the speaker in substalfi-
alton. The danger of relying Pm
militia, unsupported by suffic4t
force of regulars, was set forthiPy
the speaker in quotations Jpn
every national military commarfr
from Washington to the present
chief of staff.
1T was not individual cowardice
but collective fear which ran from
Bull Rum" said the speaker, who
then drew a picture of the same
troops. who as raw levies had fled
from that battlefield, withstanding
without flinching the terrific as
sault of Pickett's Virginians at