The Hawaiian gazette., 1915-12-07
REUTERDAHL SAYS
j. MOLLY CODDLE
Famous Artist and War Critic
Condemns Americas Atti-
tude On War

Many HonoluIans Who have visited
the cruiser Maryland during her fire.
duent visits here and have been privil-
eyed to go below decks into the ward
room of the vessel will remember the
stirring painting of one of our early
naval fights which occupies the place Of
honor on the trophy hung walls of
Is bat ono Of q score which occupy sim
liar places Of honor on other craft Of
.our navy and Is the product of the
rain and brush Of our greatest marine
painter, Henry Reuterdahl
H"Mr. Reuteftfhhl first came into prom
inenee as naval artist by the series
Of pictures which he executed during
the world.eneircling voyage of the bat
tleship feet some years ago while a
welcome passenger on the flagship
From merely an artist trnthfully de
picting sea pictures, Mr.. Reuterdahl has
'ome to. be our leading civilian author
ity and critic on naval matters and his
sspousal of the cause of preparedness
has led to the writing of authoritative
articles which have appeared in sew.
pral prominent magazines, notably Ev-
erybody 3. -E..a.
The American artist is as welcono
gisitor in foreign navies as in our own
and his comparisons of conditions in
European fleets and our own are author.
tative and have enabled him to ap.
1roach his subject with knowledge con,
Tietions concerning the neglect of our
navy. His painstaking examination of
acts and relentless expressions of Opin-
ion as to our naval deficiencies have
aow been extended to our military ne
'essities and in an article In the Metro
'olitan Magazine for December entitl-
d "Arm or Surrender he makes some
tartling assertions regarding the de
'enseless condition of the nation from
l military point of view
Heopens with this sharp arrangement
If our patriotism-or lack of it:
''Our patriotism is waning and drift
ng away on the ebb tide of indiffer,
Hnee, and as a nation our manhood is
IN the decline; national conscience we
have not. No longer can an American
hold his head up abreast. Our place in
.he world is hat of o money bag In
Germany we are laughed at, dcspised
Is spineless weaklings; our money
llOne is feared England thinks we are
towards, and American life a cOmmod-
sly which can be paid for in cash. The
French shrug their shoulders.
9 The Mexicans ridicule US, he says,
and regard us as q race of towards.
"In NacO, Arizona. 4" he says, "thP
light arm of the government guards not
the lives of the inhabitants. Barri
sades of hay bales before the windows
keep Mexican bullets from killing them
in their sleep; in the daytime, they
luck low and trust to luck
Invasion by a European power Mr.
Reutendahl says is ridiculously easy.
"Right before our very eyes our
navy and army have deteriOrated. SO
far, no one cares. 1t has been demon
'trated and proved beyond argument
that the American navy is not strong
hnough to maintain the command of the
sea and uphold the Monroe doctrine
With the American feet swept off the
sea, the enemy invasion on our soil
becomes but a matter of steamer sched
ules. This has twice been done in the
war games of our feet.
"The army cannot defend all the
forts,' he continues. cit has no auto
mobiles to transport all it's baggage; its
shoes are for the parade ground and
will wear out under two months march
ing; il has nineteen motor ambulances
FOR its wounded Its supply system can
not stand the strain of war, but will
break down as it did during the Span
ish war. 1t is without ammunition
trains, armOred automobiles. armOred
-ailroad trains, neavy motors for fell
work, has ammunition but for a couple
II day 3 battle and with less than one
hour supply for coast defense guns
and has not sufficient field artillery.
The mobile army Of the United States
y but a little larger than twice the
New York police force, and its reserve
numbers some sixteen men. 1t masters
ten aeroplanes, all of which cauhOt fly.
Practically all the great rifles of
'Oast defense are from the design of
he Ordnance Department, and their
disappearing carriages are the invention
If the present chief of ordnance. Many
are obsolete and the carriages of the
heavy guns have to be remodcled.
They permit only a limited degree of
elevation and through faulty desiIn
rood guns are rendered inferior in
eange to those of the enemy's ships.
For want of foresight the bureau placed
his handicap on every large ealihred,
lireet firing gun of our coast defense
from Maine to California. The pieves
are now useless against the latest su.
perdrHadnOughts until this handicap is
removed.
The inetficiency settled upon the
army by Congress and the army s pre-
.raredness for war is visualized by the
hopeless and pathetic state of its avia.
Il IN corps. America is the land of the
aeroplane. Here it was born, but the
army has now but ten machines one
fell recently into the sea and killed its
aviator. That these machines cannot
fly cannot be the fault of Congress-
Our loss in aviators has propOrtiOnate-
~ been almost az heavy as in the fly
ing corps of the great armies now en-
gagged in war.
1.-THE American army is trained TO
travel on a pillow. Soldiers must go
to maneuVers in u tourist sleeper, Of
fceTs in Pulmans At least that is our
peace method. To the Texas maneuv'rs
regiment was ordered from Indian.
apols. II could have pulled out in six
hours, reaching its destination in
thirty, travelling in box CIrs as in