The Washington herald., 1915-01-31

very beginning and what President Will
son proposes that We should Continue
to do.
Here is man who processes TO be a
historian but who either has failed TO
comprehend or who is absolutely blind
to the lessons which the very things he
now advocates have taught time after
time were nothing but egregious blunder-
ing. Does Mr.. Wilson not know that be-
cause the United States trusted to its
"citizenry'' it has been compelled in its
past wars to use at least two and one
half men to every adversary pitted
against them? Does Mr. Wilson not know
that the United States has never in its
history been prepared for war and never
will be until II possesses a sufficient num-
ber Of trained soldiers? Have his studies
in history never taught him how danger
Gus and expensive t is to employ un-
trained material in time OF war?
War Comparisons.
Does he not know that in the Revolu-
ton We used 81, N regulars and 164,OS7
militia and volunteers against England's
80, COS, at a cost of 500 600 900 and So
900 in pensions? Does he not know that
in the War Of 1872 we had sc, or regulars
and 41,622 militia against the English
and Canadian forces OF only about 55 900
men? That war cost US $S2 627 O09 and
$45. .9J0546 in pensions.
Does he not know that in the Mexican
War 31,024 regulars and T3,532 militia were
required to oppose about II, 900 Mexicans,
at cost of SSs, ,5OO. .2OS and that the pen
sions have amounted to 1885, ,1s1?
Does he not know that in the Civil
War the United States employed no less
than 5000 regulars and 2,eO5,3n militia
and volunteers against about 1,000.0 900
q NNFNNn n lar Fn19
lous sum OF S,31, ,0T9.7IS and A,45T g74 .4a5
have already been paid in pensions. and
We are long way from the end yet.
Does he not know that the Spanish
Aemrican War compelled us to use S.
SIS regulars and %, LBS militia or volun-
teers against 10000 Spaniards. at a cost
OF 81, ,S53, "a; while 76,4l6 regulars and
50o53 volunteers were employed in the
Philippines at a cost OF S17l, ,365T2 and
that S4s,092,7S9 have already been paid
in pensions for them both?
How many Americans have any concep-
ton OF the outrageous extravaganza in
men and money that has characterized
our past wars? How long would any
properly run company or corporation toi-
crate any such mismanagement?
Cost of Not Being Ready.
The survivors OF the Civil War know
full well what unreadiness means, ana
they must realize that had the United
States possessed 5000 trained regulars
at the outset, the war would have come
to a sudden end
Such arguments as the President brings
forth in his message are too puerile for
words. One might as well assert that
business man can be made in a day or
month as that one can make a good
soldier in that time. Why are trained
men exclusively used in police forces and
IRE departments. For the very excellent
reason that the world has found thar
unframed men cannot adequately protect
human life and human property. and
sound sense requires that the same rea-
soning should be applied to the army as
to police forces and fire departments.
1t would be dificult to bring forth a
better argument in favor of an ade-
ouate army Of professional soldiers
than the present war affords. We all
know what has happened to Belgium
because she was not strong enough to
defend herself. II France had trusted
to any such broken reed as the Presi-
dent advocates, where would she be
today? Is any body silly enough to
think that q .'citizenry" such as Mr..