The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-01-01

merly great struggles were conducted
with the crude weapons used by men
in times Of peace. the long bow, broad
axe and smooth bore employed by
frontiersmen and squirrel hunters.
Today war is dreadful in its scientific
equipment. To expect hastily re-
cruited rockies" to be effective in a
national emergency with coast de-
Tense disappearing guns or mortars.
or with guns OF light field batteries.
and all the technical applied mathe-
mates involved in indirect FIRE and
the other usual problems OF later day
ballistics. is as dangerously and alb
surdly impossible as 10 entrust the
safety of a passenger to an engine
crew of boys.
If our neighbors we're in the same
predicamcnt. and we were surrounded
by nothing more formidable than riot
ing South American republics. we
could view this situation with equan-
unity aud thankfully welcome a grow
ing conviction that war aud its at
tepdant horrors has become lost
art. Unfortunately such is not the
fact We have forced ourselves into
the conflicting ambitions of nations.
which have made armies a national
profession. and was as anticipated in
strument in the realization of national
dest inies.
Never before, even in the days OF
ArtaXerxes, has the world seen the
training and maintenance of such stu
pendous standing armies. Germany
with her million subjects in Southern
Brazil. and against whom we choose
to oppose the Monroe Doctrine. has a
trained. equipped and disciplined
force Of more than a million men.
We have consoled ourselves with
the pleasing fallacy that we were i'm.
pregnable because of our world posi-
ton. When Representative McLach.
Ian OF California appealed to the house
last April to consider the defenseless
condition of the Pacific coast, Chair
man Tawney Of the appropriations
committee. suggested that the dis
turbing facts offered by the California
member could be dismissed. because
name Of Columbus and the Santa
Maria. in what period of civilization
did Mr. Tawney dream he stood? Ger
tainly not in the days of monster
steamships. under government sub
sidy and triple expansion engines.
Could Capture Gotham.
Two or three years ago. in reply to
a question in the Reichstag, the Ger
man general staff stated that it could
land 100000 men in New York City in
seven days. Is that geographical iso
lation?
Five years ago Japan had 10(
transports which carried 100000 men
The speed of the slowest transpor,
would land that feet on our Pacific
coast in % days. Every two months
she could augment that force with
200. 600 more. or a million in ter
months. Her army and active train
ed reserve numbered two years age
approximately one million and a quar-
ter. eight hundred thousand of whom
are veterans of the Russian war
Japan has about $4,000 trained off
GERS; we have four or FIVE thousand
Japan has generals who have com
manded the admiration of military Eu
rope by the manner in which they
mareuered over million troops; We
have no general officer now who evel
handled 10000 men in the field. Oul
regular army numbers about $4,000
$4,000 Of whom are in the Philippines
and about $4,000 in the coast artil
lery corps. Deducung in addition
non-combatants. like hospital corps
signal corps. staff. details, troops il
Hawaii and Porto Rico. we have abou
10000 infantry. feld artillery ant
cavalry to form the nucleus of mo
bile army. Add perhaps 100000 o
the national guard. and you have al
uncertain army of 10000 men strug
Cling with unsolved problems o
transportation. equipment and divis
ion into tactical units. with hardly
corporal left to teach drill to a popu
latiou Of partly assimilated nationali
ties. rapidly becoming a city brec
race. Most regulars will'tell you tina
II takes from one TO two years (.
make a soldier, Military history sup
ports the assertion"