The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1915-01-04
TBY LEASED WIRE.1

WASHINGTON. Jan. 4.-"Our
whole field army, militia. regulars and
all. would just about garrison Paris
You have Stunned putting artillery
strength into our army. What have
you done, what have you investigat-
ed?"
Representative August p Gardner,
of Massachusetts, in this fashion.
today complained to the house mill
tary affairs committee that the ad-
ministration had checked his resolu-
tion for an inquiry into the prepard-
ness of the United States for war
Turning his verbal attention upon
the small army" Mr. Gardner con-
tinued:
There are 29,4O5 regular United
States soldiers available for a field
army. according to Secretary of War
Garrison. If all of them were order
ed into trenches they could man a
single line about IA miles long. There
are 11OS07 militia men or national
guardsmen in the United States. In
otner words. until a new army could
be organized. we have just 14s.50S
men TO summon TO take the field. IF
every one of them answers the sum-
mons they can man single line of
trenches about 65 miles long. just
about two-thirds the circumference of
greater New York. by the way.
Artillery Lacking.
I'VE have in our possession only
634 completed modern field guns and
howitzers altogether. That is to say.
we own little over half the guns
which Russia had at the battle OF
Mukden. Yet any ordinary engage
Of shiS Hhn
battle of Mukden look like a peace
conference.
General Wotherspoon. chief OF
staff of the United States Army. tells
us in his recent report that European
armies have more than five field guns
for each 1000 men. 80 our ga guns
would only equip a modest little army
of $4,000. To be sure. We have ap-
propriated for 226 more guns, but
they are not ready.
After all. what good would the
guns be without ammunition: The
Secretary Of War expects us to have
$4,000 rounds of artillery ammuni-
4 tion ready by July.
| 81 hope he is right. It is worth re-
membering that in a single battle Of
the Japanese war. Russia shot away
nearly half that amount.
! General Wood tells us that 200
rounds of ammunition day is q fair
expenditure for a gun under battle
conditions. SO you see that our 634
guns can next July be provided with
just about four days ammunition, on
account of the conditions.
/ No Rifle Cartridges.
! Some weeks ago, Major General
! - -
the Secretary of War informing him
that for equipment of an army of
100000 men in case of war We are
short 1000. 100000 rounds of rifle am
munition and 100000 rounds Of ar
tillery ammunition. or course you
gentlemen with your ideas will laugh
to scorn the idea that We might pos
sibly need 100000 men in case Of war.
Yet President Wilson intimates
that this committee can be trusted to
make an adequate investigation and
an adequate report.
You summoned General Crozier
who has been chief OF ordnance de-
partment for 13 years. and you ex-
tracted from him the admission that
his own work was most commenda-
Bile You didn't drive home the ques-
ZION WHICH HSNt Dttil Niue tp =
home. ii had not been muZzled.
Why didn't you follow up the ques-
ton of heavy field guns when you had
General CrC.;er en- the stand? Why
didn't YOU ask him 10 point out WI:
Germany uses ll-inch guns To batter
trenches if the. ;hree-inch guns To
scatter Shrapncl are all that is need
cd? You know. Mir. Chairman that the
biggest mo'an;,. gun in The United
States Arirs is The sixincn howitZer
md We oNiy have. - al them com
,',cted Yet the Germans have lt.inch
loWiI.er3 and l2l.-'nch howitzers and
9 '.ch n>ortars. and t:o English have
9'2-irCh howitZ~ys. What big guns
=, French may have | do not know. .