Evening journal., 1914-03-18
UNCLE SAM
PREPARED TO
WAGE WAR
Army and Navy Ready to
Move on Mexico if Or
derS Come
GREAT ADVANCE MADE
In FIGHTING EQUIPMENT

By United Press Staff Correspondent.
GALVESTON, Texas, March 1S.-
Just at this time when so many fresh
difficulties are springing up in the
Mexican situation there are perhaps
few citizens of the nation who do
not wonder how we'll our army is
prepared for actual warfare-for it
would be actual warfare to try in
tervention in Mexico. The United
States Army is now composed of ap-
proximately $1,000 officers and en-
listed men, of which number 10000
are on duty outside of the United
States while the remaining $4,000 are
at home stations, mostly on border
duty and at the large government
posts. One-third of the quick avail
able standing army is now mobilized
at Galveston and Texas City while
there are scattered along the Texas
border many companies of in
fantry and cavalry. At Fort
San Houston, the second largest
army post in the United States there
is a brigade of the Texas National
Guard. ready at a moments notice,
numbers 1900 men. The entire sec
ond division is mobilized here and
has been under canvas for one year.
In case of actual warfare approx
mately 10000 men can. be immed-
lately thrown into action in the field,
according to figures obtained here.
The militia furnishes better fighters
than volunteers, but the militiamen
cannot be counted regulars for it
would require perhaps three months
to get them in proper fighting trim.
That section of the regular army
mustered at Galveston now is in the
finest kind of fighting condition. Liv-
ing in the open, under canvas, for
one year the officers and men have
faced summer heat and winter cold
alike and are hardened to the max
imum point, while tedious and bril-
liant maneuvers that are constantly
being held have kept all of the bat
talions on their toes until they are
up to the latest war tactics. Every
effort of the generals and command
ers here during these maneuvers has
been directed toward simplification,
efficiency and effectiveness and per-
haps there is nowhere in the world
today a better trained and more alert
army division than that now here
Great advances have been made by
army officials. For instance the rife
now in use has a range of 1850 yards,
more than one and one-half miles,
and it has the necessary wind ranges
for various winds. The militia, reg
ular infantrymen, and the navy have
the same style and model guns,
whereas during the Spanish-Ameri-
can war the navy had one kind, the
army another kind and the militiamen
were supplied with a half dozen diff
ferent model and calibre guns. Var
ious size cartridges had to be supplied
with a half dozen different model and
calibre guns and one department
could not use the same ammunition as
the other, resulting in a great amount
of confusion which is now completely
done away with.
Our navy now has 20 modern bat
tleships and nine old battleships, 15
first class cruisers, 3 second class
cruisers, IA third class cruisers, 21
gunboats, 40 destroyers, 32 torpedo
boats and 35 submarines. The best part
of this force could be quickly mabiliz-
ed to effectively blockade all Mexican
ports. Soldiers of the regular army
and militia have been given thorough