The Bemidji daily pioneer., 1914-12-11
Says Country Is Unprepared
for HostilitieS.
LACK MEN AND MUNITIONS
Declares Coast Artillery Has Insuffi-
cient Ammunition for an Hours
Fighting and Asserts Our Army Is
Not Up to Standard of Bulgaria..

Washington, Dec. 11.-Representa-
tive Gardner addressed the house on
his resolution for investigating the
preparedness of the nation for war.
He prefaced his remarks by announc-
ing that he has introduced a bill to
enact into law Secretary Garrison's
recommendation, in his annual report,
to recruit the United States army to
its full war strength.
A large portion of his speech Mr..
Gardner devoted to an analysis of
President Wilson's references to ma
tional defense in his annual address
to congress Monday. He declared the
president had set up "a bogey man OF
straw" and that "if war should break
out today it would be found our coast
defenses have not suffi cient ammuni-
ton for an hours fighting"
eve must depend in every time of
national peril upon citizenry trained
and accustomed to arms says the
president" said Representative Gard
ner. "But how are we to get enough
citizenry, as he calls us ordinary peo-
pie? Does the president realize that
there are only 100000 militiamen in
this whole nation.
Half Never at Range.
"Does he understand that $4,000 of
them did not even show up last year
for annual inspection? Does he know
that $1,000 did not appear at the an
nual encampment? Is he aware that
$4,000, or nearly half of this citizenry,
never appeared at the rifle range dur
ing the whole course of last year?
"Where is this citizenry to get the
weapons of war? According to the
last report of the chief Of staff we are
short 316 field guns and 1,922,3S4
rounds of ammunition necessary to
equip our militia in time of war. Last
year General Wood asked for enough
guns and ammunition to bring the
United States to the standard of Bull
garia. That modest demand was
rejected, gently but firmly.
II will not say that we have only
enough field artillery ammunition to
last for single days battle if all our
guns were engaged, but l will say
that such is the statement which has
been made to me by one of the big
gest officers in the United States
army. I do not, however, hesitate to
assert that if war should break out
today it would be found that our coast
defenses have not sufficient ammuni-
ton for an hours fighting.
Every Department Lacking.
"In short, then, our officers and Off
cials have told us that we lack men
for our navy, men for our coast de-
tense, and men for our army; that
with which to charge that artillery;
that we lack great warships to sail
the seas and little scouts to act as
their messengers and their eyes; that
we have sadly deficient under-sea
navy and practically no overhead
fleet at all.
II have proposed that an independ-
ent commission be appointed to inves-
tigate all these things, to recommend
to us a definite policy for our future
guidance.
"Arbitration! Arbitration! What
grand word! All that Carnegie has to
show for his money is an unprepared
England and an unprepared Belgium.
Possibly l ought to accord him one
other scalp to his tomahawk, although
that scalp is made of imitation hair.
The pacifcists boast that their efforts
at least have made every nation dis
claim the responsibility for the war.
Had Belgium. like Switzerland and
Holland, put more confidence in her
troops and less in arbitration and
scraps of paper, she might today be
free from the agony of INVASION