The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1912-01-29
WARNING BY WOOD
CHIEF OF STAFF TELLS CON-
eREssMEN ABOUT SHORTAGE
OF AMMUNITION.
ENOUGH FOR BUT ONE BATTLE
Supply for Field Artillery Especially
10 short-Lawmakers Spend Money
for Guns but Not for Powder
and Bullets.
By o r CLINTON.

by SEiIN Wv
washington.-Gen Leonard Wood
o o will retire from his position as
chief OF staff Of the United States
army. The other day the general In
what may be called perhaps a fare
well message of warning told the
house committee on military affairs
that It ought to appropriate $3,OOO,OOO
for field guns and ammunition for the
regular army. Here In brief Is the
tenor Of General Woods warning note:
III we sent out troops into war as
they are now, without guns or am
munition, It would be absolute slaugh-
ter. II called into the field suddenly
We should have to go with a very
small allowance OF ammunition even
for the guns In the hands OF the
troops, and we should have neither
guns nor ammunition enough for our
field artillery forces"
There is something to I'll ; testi'
mony OF General Wood to make It ex'
tremely interesting not only from the
military point of view, but from what
may be called a legislative point of
view. It points up, for the facts are
are the general has given them, the
popularity on occasion OF congress
sional thought and OF congressional
action. There are OF course many
men in the United States, and they
are constantly making their influence
felt, who, hoping for peace between
all the nations of the world, think that
disarmament is the way to bring about
concord among the peoples.
Guns But No Ammunition.
As long as congress continues to
vote money for the support OF the
army and navy II naturally would
seem that the money should be well
applied and well expended. Here is
where one OF the peculiarities of con
%gressional thought and action shows
itself. Every year the la makers APP
propriate a good deal more than $780,,
000, 900 each for the army and the
navy.
Take the army case of which Gen.
eral Wood speaks. Men here, and
they are not all military men either,
are asking what possible use Il is for
congress to vote large sums of money
for field guns, which the uninitiated
should know are the light artillery
pieces OF the service. and also appro-
pirate none for the pay Of six regi-
ments OF field artillery, and yet with
hold money for the purchase Of the
ammunition which would make the
batteries s~erviceable.
In other words, the curious thing,
from a legislative as well as from a
military point of view, is why the law
makers should ask the tax payers to
expend large sums OF money for guns
for which there is no possible use,
for Il does not take a brain OF the size
Of that of Daniel Webster to make q
man appreciate that a gun without
powder and projectiles to fill It is a
pretty useless sort of a weapon.
Enough for Only One Battle.
II is known to be a fact, for the
records show II, that If We were to
have a wal today with any country
worthy the name of a power, our field
artillery could not engage in more
than one battle with its present sup
ply of powder and shot, 1t takes a
long while to manufacture field artll-
lery ammunition and to get It TO the
front.
General Wood has said also that
there is a very small allowance OF
ammunition even for the guns in the
hands OF the troop" These guns, OF
course, are the rifles of the infantry
and the carbines OF the cavalry, and
also the small arms of the coast ar
tillery, for the heavy gun men must
serve on occasion as infantrymen.
II is understood that the condition so
far as our infantry forces are con.
cerned, is absolutely nothing like so
bad as that with which the field artil-
ltTI lS C|bLlIOllNtus ipoN oblhltl
with his modern Springfield probably
would have cartridges enough to give
a good account of himself in many
a battle, but the cannoneer OF the
field forces after a few rounds would
be Obliged to stand at his calsson or
at the mouth Of the piece as a mark
for the enemy's riflemen without any
chance to return shot for shot.
About Canal Zone Rule.
It is believed that President VII.
son is about to give expression to
his views as to the best means to
govern the Panama canal zone after
the isthmian canal commission passes
out of existence. Secretary of War
Garrison already has communicated
to the president his ideas as to what
ought to constitute a proper system
of government for the canal strip. 1t