The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1915-09-02
WAR WOULD EAT UP BILLIONS
ANNUALLY.
Cost OF Entrance into Conflict Would
Reach Appalling Figures.

ANNUALLY.
Cost OF Entrance into Conflict Wou]
b Reach Appalling Figures.
Washington, Aug. 27.--If tn
vi States should become invol,
eEmany, or in some othc
a. .entangled in tn
fashfo( wlde war, VIVA
presently Re Dllls!
about the H. ~ littl
| This Is QN~ nec1
intelligent attenti0~
ed in the United Statcs
soon enough become am
problem if it had to be faceo(
At that, it would not be SO appa
ing as the staggering debts which
are piling high before the nations of
Europe. Tho richest country in the
world, the United States, if it had
to, could bear the burden of great
war debt more easily than any other
nation.
The other day, the stories went the
rounds, that if there was break
with Germany and the president did
the expected and called an extra ses-
sion of congress, a vast sum would
be appropriated for military and ma
val preparations. 1t was suggested
that a half billion dollars would,
perhaps, be allowed as an initial ap-
preparation for war purposes.
A half billion sounds large in
these days when the cost of living is
the most that the average citizen
cares about political economy. But
it is easy to show that in war times
it wouldn't 60 far.
What, for instance, would it cost
to put a million men in the field,
ready for service? What would it
cost to put the American navy in
trim for fighting a first-class power?
AS to that some one may say that
the United States wouldn't need a
million men. Still, if the United
States goes to war with Germany it
will go to war, presumably, not as
one of the allies but ION it's own
hook" This means that it may not
be I'm on the conclusion of peace Of
Europe. If the United States should
go to war with Germany it might
have to fight that nation and settle
up it's own controversy after peace
in Europe had been declared. Ger
tainly it could not we'll assume that
it would be dragged into the fighting
on a big scale. In modern war, as
everyone knows, a million men do
not make up force sufficient to de-
eide issues between first-class ma
tions.
1t is not easy to get figures on
what it would cost to put million
men into the field in readiness for a
campaign. 1t is patent, however,
that half billion dollars wouldn't
do it.
Artillery experts of the war de-
partment have calculated that to
provide the artillery alone for an
army of a million men would take
5O,OOO,00O. That is, it would take
nearly half a billion to furnish the
field artillery for such a force. This
means the guns and all material, not
including the personnel to man them.
1t means provision for inch field
guns, howitzers, machine guns, and
the like.
Or consider the problem of horses
for an army of million men, 1t
would require, for cavalry, artillery,
officers mounts, transportation, of
all kinds, and the like, not less than
100000 horses. This is cOnscrva
tive, since the number of cavalry
which would be demanded in such
an army would be 100000 or there
abouts. Averaging the horses at
$3.50 apiece, it would cost $45, OOO,-
900 to buy the horses and, consider
ing that horses in war melt away
like the SHOWS, many more would
soon have to be purchased.
Then there are rifles, ammunition,
clothing, ordnance stores of all
sorts, hospital equipment, signal
corps equipment, including aero
planes, transportation of troops and
supplies and endless other objects of
expense. 1t is true, the government
has some of these things in stock.
For instance, in a pinch the war de-
partment would be able to furnish
rifles to nearly million men, max
ing use in part of the old Krags,
which are good weapons in many re-
spects.
Army men say it would knock
big hole in a billion dollars to put
into the field million troops.
1T would make billion look
SICK" was the way one army officer
put it.
I1c pOlAICu OuI tAdI III wal IAAAC
the tendency is to overcharge the
government and that this is one of
a number of factors that it is hard
to figure on. He pointed out, too,
that it would be much more expen-
sive proposition to provide for an
army of a million in war time, or
with a war just beginning, than it
would be to provide for big reserve
and it's equipment in time of peace.
But with the first million of troops
provided for, if there was real cam
paigning on great scale, there
would follow expenditures such as
would make the imagination of old
CrOesus look poor.
AS for the navy, it would unques-
tionably take several hundred mil
lions of dollars to put it in shape for
efficient work at sea. This would go
for more dreadnaughts, battle cruis-
ers, destroyers, submarines, aero
planes, ordnance ammunition, per-
sonnet and what not.