The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1914-02-26
ANNUAL WAR
SCARE APPEARS
Comes With Clockwork Regular
ity as Bills Are Reported

Washington. Feb. 26.-The United
States is undergoing its annual war
scare.
once year for a decade or more
the war scare has come along. u
has not just happened this way.
There are pretty we'll developed
reasons for this annual furry.
The war scare came and went long
before there was anything like an
acute situation in Mexico in which the
United States vitality was Interested.
II was doing business every year back
i'm the days when Porflrio Dlaz was
ruling Mexico with an iron hand. In
the last two years the Mexican diff
culties have been used 10 help the war
scare along.
Primarily the annual war scare is
traCeable To the three appropriation
bills for national defense each consid-
cred before different committee Of
the house and thrashed all over again
before committees of the senate. The
Notifications bill, relating mainly to
coast defenses and big guns for the
artillery is under the committee on
appropriations. The army bill, pro-
vidiug for the maintenance of the mill
tary establishment, is considered by
the military committees. The naval
bill. providing for new battleships and
the maintenance of the navy, is con-
sidered by the naval committees.
The civilian secretaries the military
and naval heads of bureaus and de-
partments, are called before the three
different committees and tell them the
needs Of the army and navy. These
sessions are supposed To be secret.
Mystery as well as secrecy is thrown
about some Of them. The military and
naval experts and secretaries all pull
ing for the limit in the way of appro-
priations. go before the committees
and invariably with long faces tell how
the army and navy of the United
States are not adequate 10 meet a
strong military foe; in fact, that the
country is woefully unprepared for
war. It is related To the committees
that the army is not large enough, that
it has an insufficient supply of arms,
ammunition. tents, clothing and sup
plies for a force on war footing.
Despite the alleged secrecy as soon
as the military experts ana secretaries
get through with their statements be-
fore the committee, these statements
in great detail invariably appear with
black headlines i'm certain publications
and the annual war scare is on.
The military experts stoutly explain
that they have no desire 10 precipitate
war or encourage the annual war
scare They insist that anything they
have told the committees about the
needs of the army and navy have been
based upon sound military policy, a
policy, they insist the United States
must adopt until the powerful nations
of the world enter into an agreement
to disarm.
Discussing the latest annual war
scare for which he emphatically dis
avowed any responsibility, one of the
highest officials of the war department
said
There might just as well he an 'agi-
cultural scare every time the annual
agricultural appropriation bill is con-
sidered or there might he a river
and harbor scare when the river and
harbor bill is up for consideration.
Il wish the people would understand
that Tie annual war scare is not pro-
NOTED by the manufacturers of war
~ Ia, 4 a
is prohibited from purchasing more
than 10 per cent of ita actual war
supplies from outside manufacturers.
1t must make the other 30 per cent"