Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-12-02
UNITED STATES
URGED TO ARM
AGAINST ATTACK
Well-KnoWn New Jersey Men
Help Organize National Sc
curity League.

NEW YORK, Dec. THE Nationa
Security League, to arouse public
opinion in favor of putting the army
and coast defenses in a state of pre-
paredness. was formed at a meeting
of $50 we'll known men at the Hote
Belmont Yesterday afternoon. in an
swer to a call sent out by s. STAN
wood Menken, Herbert Barry, George
Haven Putnam. Lawrence F. Abbott
J. Mayhem Wainwright. Charles E
Lydecker and Franklin @. Brown
MIR. Barry is a resident of West Or
ange, n. J.
A resolution was adopted approving
of the congressional inquiry into the
military and naval affairs proposed
v Representative Gardner and ask
ing congressman to take immediate
action on his bill when Congress con-
Venes. A committee of fifty will be
named to form a permanent organi-
zation. Speakers pictured an invasion
of this country in which a landing
was made easily. the army was rout-
ed and cities were destroyed.
Suppose England is crushingly de-
feated in this war and her enemies
wish to invade Canada" said Mr..
Putnam. "They find her coast pro-
tected, so they decide to attack from
the American side. A big fleet and an
expeditionary force appear off New
York and ask permission to march
the invading army up the Hudson
Valley. We refuse. We might say
we We're neutral. but we have had an
example Of how much certain powers
respect neutrality. Suppose the in,
vader is strong enough to force his
way upon our soil and that Ameri-
cans. who do not like to see invaders
marching on our soil against can
ada, try to interfere with their
march. You can see all the towns
along the Hudson riVer-Albany,
Poughkeepsie and others-laid in
ruins"
Major John w. Loveland, Of the
New Jersey National Guard, quoting
from the United States Infantry
Journal and other authorities, said
that year ago the companies OF
our regular army had sixty-five men,
the militia fifty-eight men; that we
had practically no reserve; that we
did not have ammunition enough for
our field artillery to fight a single
battle: that there was but single
torpedo for each torpedo tube in the
navy; that our defenses in the Phil
ippines, Hawaii and the canal zone
were manned with only a fraction
of their necessary strength.
I'VE know" he said, that there
are two nations which could in two
weeks and a force of 10000 men
each at a point on our coast, and a
third, which could land that many
men in four weeks. 1t would take US a
month to mobilize 100000 soldiers at
any point on our coast. Thirty
thousand of these would be regulars
and 100000 half-trained men. Then
we would have to improvise staff
and supply systems"
DR.. w. Seward Webb, who was a
colonel in the Vermont militia, said
that the effort to put the country In
a better military state was being i'm
peded by strained positions on neu-
trality at Washington.
when l was at Washington, he
said, Il learned that representatives
of certain arms manufacturers in
this country had asked permission to
see the plans for making high-power
rifles, which are turned out in this
country at present only at the
Springfield and Rock Island govern
ment arseDals. 1t would have taken
either of these companies a year and
a half to turn out a high-power rifle
The army and navy officers were
to let the manufacturers
have the plans, so that they would
be able to turn out high-power rifles
for our army. but President Wilson
would not hear of It,"
F. D. Bond, who presented the reso-
luton indorsing the Gardner bill, de-
precated interference from the White
House. William T. Hornaday said he
had written to his congressman in
favor of a bill to begin at once the
training of 5000 educated men for
United States army officers.
Colonel William c. Church, editor of
The Army and Navy Journal, said:
In order to man the guns of our
coast defenses, it is necessary to have
three reliefs of men, as a soldier can
not stay at his gun twenty-four hours
out of the twenty-four. AS 1t Is, we
have less than one relief But the
fact that we are unprepared is we'll
known. The military state of the
country has been made public in re-
ports of officers time and again. An
inquiry is a waste of time We know
what is lacking and what needs to be
done"
Mr. Menken, who was elected chair
man, advocated a congressional inves-
tigation with army and navy officers
free to testify
I'VE want this testimony viva voice."
he said mot in the form of discon-
nected or uncoordinated reports, so
that the average man can learn the
facts and judge for himself"
A telegram from Congressman Card
ner was read