The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-11-22
SLICE FOR KANSAS
Congressman Taggart Will Ask
for. Share
In Any Big Appropriation for
Military Preparedness.
ARMS and MUNITIONS PLANTS
They Should Be Located in the
Interior, He Says.
Should Be Surrounded by a
System of Rock Roads.

Ordnance and munition plants in
the United States would be destroyed
in few days under an attack by
foreign country, according to Joseph
Taggart, congressman from the Sec
ond Kansas district The kanSan Will
for that reason urge strong interior
as well as coast defenses and the
building Of federal rock roads to all
important forts.
Supply depots must be located
safe distance from the strategic points
of attack, the Kansas congressman
declares. This is a lesson which Tag
CART believes the United States should
learn from the war game in Europe.
He points to the troubles of France
and Russia which located big NUM-
ton plants too near the German Dor
der. With an adequate preparedness,
Taggart believes there is little or no
danger from a foreign enemy 5000
to 1000 miles across seas.
eff the United States were invaded
by a great foreign power, our ord
nance and munition plants. which are
mostly located in the east and near
New York, could be destroyed in
few days by air craft Taggart told
the State Journal correspondent in
Washington.
Following out the suggestion by
General William Crozier, chief of ord
nance of the army, Taggart will urge
interior defenses. He will introduce
a bill for the establishment in Kansas
City or in Kansas of a central ord
government Commenting his
plans, Congressman Taggart said:
What Taggart Says:
This war has taught the world to
appreciate the necessity of having mil
itary supply depots in secure places.
By Il strange fatality many of the
supply depots and factories of France
are near the frontier and are now in
the hands of the Germans. Warsaw
was one of Russia's greatest arsenals,
ii. Tss-4ra 1aa (Na,-
man border. Even the great Krupp
gun factory at Essen is less than one
hundred niles from the French bor-
der. Woolwich- arsenal, seven miles
southeast of London. would be the
first object of destruction if an attack
were made on London.
Nearly all of our factories for mil
itary supplies are east of the Allie
States were invaded by a great pow
er these factories could be destroyed
in a few days by air craft and yet
aerial navigation is in its infancy. The
whole territory along the Atlantic
coast might be occupied by the
enemy"
Congressman Taggart has given
much study to the question of land
defenses and at the coming session
will endeavor to have some of his
ideas enacted into law.
The old-fashioned fortress is near
ly in the same category as battle
ship" he declared. For instance. the
forts at Kovne were simply groups
of artillery that seemed to be assem-
bled conveniently so that they could
be 'pot-shotted' by the German
howitzers. A few 42-centimeter or
16-inch shells thrown up in the air
and dropped inside a fort as was done
at Liege and Maubege soon tell the
tale.
HOwitzer Is the Thing.
Field artillery except howitzers is
a f1e,& TO- VII
was always true. A heavy artillery,
confined to one spot is also useless
when the fort is turned.
''DefenSeS should now be at least
twenty or twenty-five miles away
from the place defended. Railroads
and macadam roads should be built
along the positions IND locations for
mounting and mooring heavy artillery,
and the lines for trenches selected.
Forrest, who was livery stable
keeper. and who gained a worldwide
reputation as a cavalry leader, always
depended on getting there first with
most men, This must be modified
now.
Success depends on having the
greatest number of heavy guns in the
right place at the right time and ef-
fectively served 1t isn't practicable
to move such guns on dirt roads
w nat believe are the greatest es-
sent1als OF national defense against in
vasion is first to have means of trans
portation already prepared whereby
heavy artillery can be massed at any
given point in the shortest space of
time; and, secondly, the selection be-
forehand of defensible positions for
entertainments.
Some orator said that every hill
was fortress and every heart a
shield He stumbled onto the truth
as to every hill being a fortress. A
half dozen howitzers, behind a hill,
and served by trained men, are now
the best fertilization. At least three
lines of railroads, and macadam roads
built several miles apart along stra-
tegic lines with foundations for guns
along the track SO that they could be
quickly taken off and mounted, 1 be-
lieve will be the defense of cities in the
future, and the only logical coast de-
Tense that can be proposed"
About the DardanelIeS.
What about the Dardanelies?"
Congressman Taggart was asked.
Their forts have not been attacked
with howitzers," said he. This is the
whole story. Naval guns are made to
destroy battleships by direct impact.
They can't do the work of howitzers."
Asked what he thought this country
would do in case of foreign invasion,
Mr.. Taggart made this observations:
Foreign invasion I think is simply
a troubled dream. Other people are
just as smart as we are. They will
carefully calculate on the result be-