The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1912-02-14
NATION IS UNPREPARED FOR WAR
IS OPINION Of HIGH ARMY OFFICIALS

he trouble WIN tue utldJ "do WIN
the railroads They could not fur
nish proper transportation. This
condition is bound to occur in all
bi3 movement OF troops, and as an
indication of the army's efforts to
find out the weak spots and rem
edy them, a number of officers are
to be given training in the opera
tion and handling OF railroad traf-
fic. II war should come and rail
road officials were unable to prop
erly handle the problem Of trans
portaton these officers would step in
and take control of the railroad
Speaking of the problems con
fronting the nation from a military
standpoint one of the recognized
army exports, paying special atten-
ton to the Texas maneuyers. said
Through the whole undertaking the
American people have been brought
ldS' w iNt WIN lllt It't NidA tu
tually they must prepare themselves
to police the whole western hem
sphere or back uOwn on the Nor
roe doctrine. Conditions should IT,
greatly bettered. If they are mo-
bettered the Monroe doctrine must
90 1t has been shown that the tir.
has cone for the people 10 decide
through their represe senjat,NeS in con-
gress. whether they iatend that trr
United States shall dominate this
hemisphere or whether we are ~
back down on the proposition of say
ing hands off to the rest of the
world"
The condition Of our regular armF
shown bv the difficulties of gathering
only 10000 troops in Texas, a move
ment that took a week to execute,
the experts say, teaches the lesson
that the United states will have 10
create a larger military department.
or else give up all attempts OF play
ing policeman TO the turbulent Cen
tral and South American republiCas
and to Mexico
one of the most serious problems
confronting the military establish
ment is the lack OF field artillery
and ammunition Before the house
military affairs committee last year,
General Wood frankly told the mem
bers that the army was in a bad
way especially for rnls artillery and
for ammunition. TO give the army the
minimum number of field pieces now
needed. 200, it would take all the
arsenals of the country, working
along conservative lines, five years
To build them. BY working the
their capacity a hundred field pieces
could he turned tut in two wears
Ammunition for these guns is need
ed. In Germanv and England as
well as France, there is on hand
at least 1000 rounds of ammunition
for each field piece OF artillery now
in the service, but congress can not
see the wisdom of making thp an.
preparation necessary, and it is said
on excellent authority that there is
not enough rifle ammunition on hand
to keep 10000 regulars in fighting
trim lor two months.
The army is also ondeayorng TO
have congress supply money in or
der to have made 10000 rifles of
which S00,000 would he SPRINGFIELD
and O,000 Krags Speaking of the
need for a large supply of files.
General Wood said: In former
times in the days of sailing ships
and in the days when regular armies
highly organized and equipped as
a. ''h'N N'lt III ttlltdllN
known in Europe or elsewhere war
was always preceded by preliminary
indications, usually covering many
months. Certainly this was the case
IN all oversee wars. The oceans in
those days were effective barriers
against over-sea operations of any
great magnitude Now. with rapid
sea transportation and with large
ships capable of carrying two or rorr.
thousand troops for ai.t nat-ah nos
sesslng the sea. the ocean, hstead of
being a barrier, is the most conve-
nient means of access to an enemy.
Then again the old tyne of rifle mus
ket was crude. II could he rapidly
made and required comparatively lit
tie experience or training for it's