The daily Alaskan., 1914-12-16
A QUESTION OF INTEREST

Are we prepared to fighf?" This question, with interest s.irrsd in it by the war abroad, promises to de- Yelop into one of ths biggest issues before the country during the next year. The attention Of congress during the present session will be centered on 1t much of-the time.
 While the advocates Of Q bigger and better army and navy are eQuipping themselves with heavy supplies Of data to show that the United States would be hoplessly weak if attacked by one of the world powers, the anti-militarists are arm ing themselves with information toI hack up their contention that furth CT preparedness would bs uudestr- able and unnecessary.
 The paciflcists will admit that our preparedness is not to be. compared with that Of other great nations but they will argue that with the rest of the worlG em6roil- ed in the greatest war of history al our rivals will be so exhausted by fighting that they would not dare to attack us for years to come. This fact, along with the natural defense constituted by our geograp phical isolation, gives Us ample protection, the peace men will contend.
 The case of. tho mlllSar'sts was voiced in detail by General w. w. Wotherspoon, ex-chief of staff Of the army, in his annual report just issued. He summarized our miA- tary situation thus: We could not defend the Panama canal. We could not defend the Philippines, or Alaska, or Hawaii, or any other of our insular possessions. our coasts defenses are lamentably made quate. We could not concentrate q sufficient force to: repel an invasion by a first class fighting power.
 Here is the remedy: Raise the regular or standing army from it's present strength of sS,O0U men to 2O5,OOO. Create & first liEe of reserves of 500, ,OOe, thoroughly equipped and trained. Establish a second reserve of 3OoSO0O men.
 General wotherspoon dues not 20 to the length Of advocating compulsory military service, but he says this: Tn any scheme to create such q force of mobile troops, we cannon do better than to follow the example of the master minds ia military organization for national defense. The policies developed in iEis direction all ine!ude, among others, the primary plan of using the standing army as a school for training Of men whoi on graduation from that school, pass into the reserve and constitute the real na- tional military strength"
 Many anti-mihtarists, however will agree with General Wother- spoon that there is urgent need for reorganization of the state militia. Agitation has been long under way for change in the laws governing the militia which will bring greater reliance upon and an increased con- trol by the national government. Until this is: done, authorities de- clare, the militia cannot Ce regard ed as a dependable branch Of our military strength.
 The modification of the law pro posed is to place the militia under pay Of the national government and under binding obligation to serve at it's call. This, 1t is though, would produce a state of affairs where the militia would be much more thor oughly trained than under existing laws, and to that extent can be more thoroughly depended upon.
 The actual number of men avail able in our coast detspses artillery is 14,OOO, or 1O,O0O less than the number estimated to be necessary to man the defense. It is con tended that the offsnses are so few and - far apart as. to offer an invad- ing army a lrge choice of landing places along our coast. Experts are now asserting that the latest type of super -dreadnaught with it's armament of fifteen inch guns could stand off at sea and batter our coast forts to pieces Bhile:the