The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-04-27

has avished millions public buildings stint
begrudged money for the and the relying
upon the popular belief that money spent on the national
Our own history proves the contrary. 1t unprepar-
human suffering untold national through
drawn out paralysis and destruction OF indecis
spent upon war its inevitable result-pensions.
Here is what unpreparedness has meant in terms of
Maj Helmiok:
During the revolution there were employed $4,000
against this total Of 415ooo only 100000.
This is estimated to have cost $37o.ooo0o0 and
In the war of 1912 the American troops all kinds
numbered 100000 The total number of British troops
employed was only $4,000
This nearly .ss,oooooo and in pensions, up
to 1910 about $46,000.000.
In the first Mexican war we employed 100000 men in
all. The Mexicans had only 5000
This cost us $SS50o.00o and in pensions, up to
In the civ war there were called into the union
les 100000 The confederates used little more
The cost the union amounted five one-third
billions of dollars and in pensions, to 1910, four bill
In the Spanish war and Philippine instruction we
used in all about 100000 men, the spanards less than
100000.
The cost these two related $685.
900 900 and in pensions, up to date, $300OoooO
From these figures Maj Hemick draws a conclusion
which should be pondered by member of
and by citizen capable of intelligent consideration
history their bearing policies
1.-The total all including pensions,
says Maj Hemick amount to nearly ten and half bill
dollars The present army greater
than at time in past history due largely to the
that values the time greatly exceed values
at time in the past. The present strength of our
regular about 49, 900 and it is not far
that thousand it cost the government ST.
annually this basis the total cost of
as given above would have maintained the present
strength of our regular army in its present illogical
and at the present high values for 40
years which have passed since the revolution Let
how it would have been if had exercised military
| a
of trained for period of years with the
and then returned to civil life but subject to call
when needed Assuming that army of $4,000 men
revolutionary that three years service
required with the colors and years with
the ten in ALL assuming that the cost
thousand serving with the cOlOrs Is the
present and values the assuming this army
$4,000 could have been kept constantly with the
coors and 100000 trained in the during the
entire period of $50 for what the five consid
cred in this actually including the
| amount paid in pensions result of those wars"
Had such disciplined force been available at the be-
ginning of each military will doubt
that these either would have avoided brought
to comparatively speedy conclusion Gen. Emory Upton
in his History of Our Military Policy" neglected
which should be studied by every American public
and teacher declares that "a trained force of
10000 men, capable of prompt expansion, would have
brought the civil to close in single campaign"
We Americans talk of the staggering burden of arma
ment carried by Europe We too staggering
den, although not of it. We have paid in
tragic total of human anguish in the blood
in the agony of mothers in the orphanage of children
and in towering waste of material wealth. for
fusa to read the lessons of history and accept
George Washington, who said "To prepared
war is of the most effectual of preserving
peace"
The congress to which golden word was spoken
ignored it. 1t has been ignored congresses
followed and by five generations the American people
Isn't it time for folly