The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-08-29
GEN. EVANS ON NEEDS,

we sec tnat GENERAL h. Il. Evans,
who is to report on the war game
which was recently played in the ad-
vance upon and the defense Of and non
capture OF San Francisco, has found
things in a pretty bad way from a
military standpoint, as Judged from the
war play which he has Just seen, and
upon which he will make his report,
He finds that everything is short, only
half the infantry expected taking
part in the maneuvers; there was very
little cavalry and the artillery was
scarcer yet, and he pertinently asks,
"What would the Nation do in case of
real hghting7'
The answer is easy. The Nation
would sacrifice few tens OF thou
sands of men needlessly; it would
bring disease and death into thousands
Of homes in the United States, and
this without the least need in the
world, and inevitable only because the
Nation refuses to prepare for war. It
has been the same old story all the
time. In the War OF the Revolution,
General Washington was helpless for
years at time, merely because he
could gather together no competent
force to do any fighting. In the war
OF 1872 we were utterly disgraced
because there was no force that could
be depended upon to DO any military
duty or engage in real campaign work.
In the War OF the Rebellion it was far
worse. Hundreds of thousands Of men
were sacrificed to no purpose simply
because we had no military system,
and no way of effectively organizing
the army; no nucleus upon which TO
build. 1t was so in the Spanish war,
where men by the hundreds who never
even got started TO the front were
sacrificed through shockingly filthy
and unmilitary camps, where the
volunteers were thrown together with.
out any means Of helping themselves
with the result that men by the
hundreds died needlessly, simply be
cause they were willing to help their
country in its supposed need, and their
country had no military system where
| by they could be cared for. The coun
try did not need these men at al
did not use them; still, il called them
out, and called them TO needless death
Ii we had had military force pre-
pared in advance and available al
need, of 100000 men, We could have
saved vastly in lives and expenditur,
in the Spanish war; but tn,
country refused to prepare for war
and always prefers, evidently, wher
the crisis comes, the needless sacrifice
of thousands Of lives and millions OF
treasure TO no purpose whatever except
disaster and waste.
General Evans shows the pity Of i
all, where the rehearsal Of our wa,
strength brought weakness TO light II
the armies of the Reds and tn
Blues The regulars were ffty-eigh
men short 10 the company. and th
militia sixty-eight. he says. And h
continues: "'Go 10 WAT with this 81
per cent shortage. and what happens
Do YOU say we might fill the vaesncie
with recruitsl That would spoil OIL
efficiency
In all this General Evans Is exaetl,
right: and when he says we could no
send out even small army of 5000
men, properly divided into the differ
ent arms OF the service, and Ell
eiently oficered and utilized, be j
undoubtedly telling the plain truth
The concentration OF (supposed) 1000
, men on the Mexican border year ag
last spring was practical exempliies
tiou OF General EvaDs's statement. "
. did not got 10000 men, although W
, gaked the country for them; and whs
we did get was by no means n con
pact, effective military force; quite tn
contrary, a. was testified TO by all III
military men having 10 do with it.
The very least that the Unite
! States ought TO do is TO have an cffec