The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1912-01-18
PREPARING FOR WAR
Army and Navy Boards Planning
to Fight All Nations.
NOTHING ALARMING IN THIS
Every Country, II Wisdom Prevails,
Spends tho Time Of Peace In
Thus Getting Ready for Con-
fllet with Any Other.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

NdhnlHBtOn.-" MIC eHOrt ID being
made by the administration to secure
the senRte's sanction for the arbItra.
ton treaties. the general staff OF the
army and the general board OF the
navy are at work making the advance
preparations FOR war with every ma
ton on earth" In time Of peace pre-
pare for war thought II not ex
pressed In Just such words as old us
gunpowder and perhaps older. is the
guido OF the army and navy militant
ones In Washington.
The general stan OF the army and
the general board OF the navy have to
earn their salar!es They are paid
to make ouch plans as will be service
able In case the country should be
forced into war. People have the
haziest sort Of an idea. apparently. OF
the duties OF the officers who servo on
the military and naval board In Wash.
ington. They do many things besides
planning strategems. invasions and
the like. but one OF their main labors
Is the making OF preparations TO
thrash some country which at the
same time ia making preparations TO
thrash US.
Germany knows all about the Ameri-
can seaboard and the Philippine sea
board. and ell about Samoa and Ela-
wall and Guam and Alaska 1t knows
how many ships we have, how many
guns they carry. what their target
records are and. in fact. all the other
things that It is to the advantage OF
country to know prior to entering
upon hostllltles with another country.
What is true of Germanys knowledge
Ia true OF the knowledge OF England,
Japan. France. Italy and the rest
Each Knows All About Others.
Moreover II one could get into the
inner chamber of the war and navy
departments OF the countries mention.
cd and were not denied access to the
secret drawers of tho steel.lined
/ vaults. he would find there neatly
, drawn plans for offensive operations
against the United States OF America
/ Now the reverse OF this matter is
/ true. Let German or an English.
man. or a Japanese or Frenchman
I or a man OF any other power 30 his
[ way. II he can. to the inner places in
( our fighting departments and there
lie will find the best laid plans OF
army officers and naval officers for
the thrashing OF his country.
II is needness TO say that the ON.
cials Of the war departments OF all
the earth plan to thrash the other fel.
low. taking no thought OF the possi-
bllity OF being thrashed themselves.
That is left for the developments of
individual battles, when the admiral
or the general figures out when de.
feat looms how he best can make his
men.
| II Ia not to be taken in an alarm
ing sense. this matter of war prepare
tons. They are made simply for use
in case of emergency. for when the
emergency arises there may be preci
GUS little time for planning
War Plans Always Changing.
Changes have been made In war
plans. There is well.worked-out
method by which China may be in.
vaded. and Picking reached as It was
reached by Chaffee and others in the
year 1900. This plan is nothing like
the plan Of eleven years ago. Time
has forced changes. Today an army
at least Ave times as large as that
which penetrated to the Forbidden
| City In 1900 would be necessary to do
the work over again.
The war department officials know
this and have planned accordingly.
Though they are soldiers. and cam.
paigning Is the breath of their life.
they doubtless hope that they never
will be called upon to carry out any
OF the plans they have made against
China or any other nation on earth,
but II they are to be called on TO car
ny them out they want to be prepared
for the Job.
Story of the klondlke.
The report of Secretary OF
TIC bttu
read, the country knows q good deal
more than II knew about the various
resources of Alaska, Mr.. Fisher paid
more attention to coal and to forests
when he visited Alaska last summer
than he did to gold. for the gold de-
posits of the territory now are rather
an old story.
An army officer OF high rank who
has been for the better part OF nine
years either In the Philippines or In
the American tropics has told just
how II was that the great find of gold
In the Klondike country was not made
Ave years earlier than II was. The
story embraces. doubtless, the reason
why this particular army officer is eth
living on his service pay instead of
owning Golcondas and drawing reve.
nue. therefrom. II also accounts prob
ably for the still moderate incomes OF
two or three other government EN-.
ployees and of half q dozen men In
civil life.
How Gold Find Was Delayed.
The army officer had made a study
of mineralogy. assaying and other