Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-08-16
EQUIPMENT OF
BIG ARMY u. S.
PRINCIPAL NEED
Experts in City Say Coun-
try Must Prepare Equip
ment for 100000 Men
EUROPEAN WAR LESSON
Neglect of Proper Defense
Would Mean Loss of East
Coast in Case of Invasion

The United States must begin AZ once
TO prepare for possible aggression by an
enemy by obtaining and storing immense
quantities OF supplies in order TO be able
TO equip completely n force OF sufficient
size TO assure proper defense. This opin-
Ion was expressed today by Phladelphians
who have made n study OF the military
situation and who have been in consuita-
ton with the War Department on ques-
tons involving the protection OF the
country from attack and invasion.
The quantity Of supplies necessary to
place an army OF sufficient size in the
field, II was said. was not appreciated by
the average layman, II was the complaint
that while much publicity had been given
TO plans proposed for raising an army Of
about 100000 men TO be trained and
used as reserve force by this Govern
ment, the equally important question Of
equipping this force had not been called
to the attention Of the people.
Members OF the special committee OF
the Veteran Corps of the 1st Regiment
NJ G. p, Philadelphia military organi-
zation, appointed recently by Colonel
Theodore II. Wiedersheim, commander of
the corps and chairman of the local COM
mittee of the National Defense League
to confer with the War Department, called
attention today Co The immensely OF the
quantity of materials which must be coll
lected and stored by the United States II
the Government is to be ready at n mo-
ments notice to defend our shores from
an attacking enemy.
How many people realize that an army
OF approximately 100000 men require
nearly 100000 blankets before they can
begin n war?' said Brigadier General
j. Campbell Gilmore, reorganizer of the
National Guard after the Spanish war
do many persons not connected with the
army or navy appreciate the fact that
nearly 100000 pairs of shoes must be
on hand II an army Is to take the field,
and that nearly 1000, 600 must be provided
again every month while the army keeps
the field? DO they realize that the sup
plies needed by such force cannot be
produced in a few days or even few
months and that we would be hopelessly
enmeshed by an enemy before we could
even put our men in the field?
"a uniform on soldier in the field
must be replaced about every month. II
has been said, and indeed II was a stock
statement to be pulled out OF It's dusty
pigeonhole and paraded every time atten-
ton was called to our unpreparedness.
that these Things were only trlhlng. that
this big nation could easily supply an
army of 100000 men and do IL quickly.
The European war has put a quletus on
much Of this senseless argument We
could equip an army OF 100000 undoubt-
edly; but how long would II take to do it2
"Will an enemy obligingly wait Off
our coasts for the better part of year
until we reorganize our factories and
equip 100000 men TO meet him? We
fought Spain some years ago II wasn't
q war 1t was a schoolboy's picnic. Yet we
had our hands full, Think OF IT, 1t took
us 30 days to equip 100000 men
There can be no sldestepping this
question of preparedness. None but the
blind will fail to read Alright the lesson
that is being taught us by Europe. We
must dlsspate the SNUG seif-conidence
that has been our national policy in the
past. We must stop teaching our chill
dren that we are always victorious. even
In the face of any possible emergency.
We must impress on the entire nation
that national security lies in national pre-
paredness and national preparedness is
common sense"