Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1914-03-04
CONGRESS is OBEYING THE OLD
ADAGE TO MAKE READY IN
TIME OF PEACE.
EQUIPS THE ARMED SERVICE
Needing the Warnings of Colonel
Thompson and General Wood, 1t
Is Putting the Army on
Sound Basis.
BY GEORGE CLINTON


and many others are in process of ne
gotiation, congress is putting the Unit
ed States upon a safeguarding" mill
tary footing. In one of these Wash
ington dispatches recently it was said
The United States is pushing to COM
pletion rapidly it's Notifications in the
Philippines, Hawaii and on the Pacific
coast of the Panama Canal Zone. This
is the only war scare story which does
not meet with either daily denials or
daily evasion"
Recent events show conclusively
that army officers must have known
| some time ago that a Democratic con-
gress Intended to vote money to
strengthen the armed service by sup
plying the war material necessary to
make up known deficiencies. Probably
the army knew also that congress in
| tended to supply means to strengthen
the Notifications and to give the army
other things necessary to meet any
emergency.
II there was any war scare in the
| original chapter, it has it's supplement
in the story of the legislative action
Of today. Probably, however, there is
no real war scare in the situation. The
case doubtless is simply one of an
awakening to the necessity of taking
the precautions demanded by common
sense.
Heed Col. Thompson's Warning.
Not long ago the then acting chief
of ordnance, Col. John T. Thompson,
in an interview let it be known that
while the United States army in many
respects was in proper condition to
meet the demands of warfare, it was
lamentably weak in field artillery and
in ammunition. Col. Thompson gave
this information to the country some
time before congress had taken up the
bills for appropriations covering for
tifications and munitions of war. Now
the legislators have acted and have
voted a large sum to be used to
strengthen the Notifications, to buy
the coast and field guns which are
necessary, and to purchase ammuni-
ton to make them serviceable.
question of increased appropriations
for war material were pointed, and as
they were held in the open everything
that was said is by this time known
in Europe and in Japan. The con-
gressmen did not hesitate to talk
about other countries when they were
discussing the unpreparedness of
their own country to meet an enemy
in the field or on the sea. Taking this
debate in connection with that on the
Asiatic exclusion provision proposed
for the immigration bill, little room for
wonder is left that the Japanese people
are being kept more or less stirred
up over the doings in America.
Putting Army on Sound Basis.
Before long Gen. Leonard Wood will
be transferred from his post as chief
of staff to some other scene of COM
mand. Not long before congress turned
it's attention to the matter of mu,
nitions of war; Gen. Wood told the
committee on military affairs Of the
deficiency in guns and ammunition. At
that time it was asked pointedly what
kind of reasoning it was that put 1t in
to a congressman's head that it was
all right to supply money to pay the
men of six regiments of field artillery
and then to give them nothing to work
with. Congress apparently saw the
point of the question and has pro-
ceeded to supply the working material.
Now the first time in years the army
of the United States Is to be upon
something like a sound basis from
which to begin active operations II
the necessity shall arise.
What of Senator Borah?
What of Borah? Washington Pro-
gressives and Republicans, yes. and
Democrats, too, today are discuss
ing the probable future political at
titude Of Senator William E. Borah
of Idaho. The senator, as is known,
is a progressive Republican He has
just made a speech to the great Re-
publican club of New York which has
led to comment and speculation in
Washington by the members of all the
political parties.
When the Republican national COM
mittee met in Washington last Deem
Der, several progressive Republicans
were invited to address the members.
William E. Borah was one Of them.
He was the only Republican of known
progressive instincts and actions who
declined in any way to moHify the
committeeman by intimating that he
knew whatever action they took with
reference to calling an extraordinary
convention of the Republican party
would be actuated by high motives.
The senator did not urge the calling
of a national convention and he was
the only one Of the progressive Re-
publicans who took this negative
course.
1t was said at the time that Mr.. Bor-
ah declined to stand with other pro-
pressive Republicans in favor of an
extraordinary convention of the Re-
publican party to regulate southern
representation and to do other things