The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-12-16
OUR UNPREPAREDNESS m
OUR MILITARY FORCES
An Address Delivered Before The Raleigh Chamhor
OF ommerc BY Captain Russell 6. Langdon

nare for war; he uttered a maxim.
ihe truth of which has been borne
at by all human history since Wash
l%ngton's time.
This saying Of his a been 50 often
oaoted that / ask your indulgence in
using il now. But the happenings of |
he present time bring 1t strongly to |
mind.
A truly civilized man abhors war. !
Particularly abhOrrent is it to those
who have, ever been brought to know
II it's horrors. Not the least Of his |
evils is the long period Of commercial
depression that follows in it's wake. |
The present agitation for peace
finds no opposition in the ranks of
military men. except in SO far as we
are asked to defeat the very aims Of
ne peace propaganda by rendering
ourselves defenseless, and thereby in
y!ting war. The faction of the peace
advocates who do this is strangely
~eudeavoring to accomplish self-de-
feat.
But by whatever means peace is to
De brought about, we are all agreed
on TWO things, namely: first, to avoid
war by every honorable means; sec
ond. If a war must come. to render it
less costly in blood and treasure.
Preparation for war is a necessary
sep under both of these heads. That
4 prepared nation has a better inSur-
ance against war, We have but to
look AT the history of the best pre-
pared nations today. Germany, the
best equipped military power, has not
had a war in fOrty-One. years. The
British has had wars only in distant
lands where even her half-trained
enemies knew that her land forces
were weak at the time. She has not
mad q serious struggle in India since
her military establishment there was
completely reOrganized and equipped
eight years The struggles Of
France have been only in the wild
border lands of her distant colonies.
Russia would never have been at
lacked by Japan had Russia possessed
an adequately trained army with we'll
equipped bases. In 1905 Sweden
would most certainly nave attacked
Norway had Norway not fortified her
frontier, and been ready with an army
and a %populace trained by universal
service.
Cost Is Higher and Higher.
But it Is said-and certainly no one
can deny it-that the insurance rate
81. o. the cost of preparatory SO faI
nj least as is con
cerned. is fast growing higher and
higher.
To bring about a change withOu'
Inviting war through relative defense.
itsSneSs requires a compact among al
The nations. This may or may not b
done, although at present there Seems
80 he some slight prospect Of it.
The limitation of ornaments OF
iond is however, a matter which ha
hardly yet come up for very seriOu
discussion. The reason for this wOult
appear to be found in the fact tina
me money spent upon an army i
spent far more upon men than upol
things. The material of ar army cost
very much less than that of a nav
"a proportion to the cost of persOnne.
Fortifications today are s o simple an
80 small as scarcely to be noticed b
The sightseer. The whole armamen
"t one of our most important harbOr
costs loss than one, or at the mos
TWO. hattleships of the 'dreadnaught
type.
Develops Art of Peace.
Furthermore, the money spent o
the men and animals of an army nell
go develop many Of the arts OF peac
For example: the impulse given
the manufactures Of clothing durln
our war with Spain was of lastln
GOOD to that industry; and the pullt
'ug trades all over the country NAY
feceived great benefits from the COZ
StTuction of new barracks ana quafte
hat has gone on in the last TWEEN
Years in this country.
But it is principally in the lndlVl'
atl soldier himself that we lind tn
money spent upon an army in peac
time is for the most part far from %
Nc wasted. The better trained ne
as a soldier the more, useful ne ;"
he AS a citizen. Obedience ana r
Spect for law, courage, cleanliness
mind and body, strength Oh Will al
"t muscle, OF eye, qulc
witted intelligence. self-reliance, al
u sound constitution. are required IN
factory. Il railroad, a business hou
"r "a modern farm. The demand !
'reaSes as inventions become mo
complicated, and physical DANCE
multiply under the growing deman
"f business competition. We find I
hest workInen Of the world IN [
countries where there are the pe
trained soldiers.