Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-07-15
MATERNAL TO BE EMPHASIZED
IN RECOMMENDATIONS TO
CONGRESS.
GUNS CAN NOT BE
SUPPLIED OVER NIGHT
Field Pieces, siehe Artillery and Ma.
chine Guns Should be Ready For
Use. in Opinion Of Secretary CARR.
.on.-War Has Taught That muni-
tons Are Rapidly Consumed.
rspecial Correspondence

Washington, July 15.-Materiel Is
one of the chief things which Will Dc
emphasized by the war department.
when it comes to make Its recon-
mendations to congress this fall. Ma
terrell means most anything in respect
OF fighting equipment that soiais'
can use. and is borrowed from sne
French However, in army paFiaAce :.
has long since become good American
Just now, the European armies are
CRYING for materiel, materlei ana mo-
materiel. That Is what the America
army officers are crying Tor, too' dillu
their cries are faint and low conlpareu
with the chorus of demands golns up
from the European countries anu Go
pecially from those that got caus
Mapping last August because they hao
no conception of what mooern w"
demanded in regard to supplies.
Secretary Garrison has been asked
to tell congress how he thinks the mil
itary system should be revamped. ne
is going to do 50 in characterlsticalis
emphatic style. However. ne Will cul
his recommendations to suit the ciolh
of what he conceives the political re-
QuirementS to De anu "ndl lAe p
dent conccives them to be.
Lessons Of European War.
The lessons Of the European war
which have been taught for CERTAIN
are few That is, there are many ne"
angles of the military art which seem
to project themselves from the EURO
pean fields but as to most OF them II Is
not easy TO draw definite conclusions:
one conclusion which Is Impossible OIL
escape is that modern war eats up
munitions. artillery, rifles and Klhoreo
equipment at rates hitherto unknown
How is the war department going 10
NEE. the problem thus raised! "nat 10
congress going to do about lit
Nobody can tell what congress WIN
do about 1t. Some think 1t Will 90
nothing. But in any event the war oe.
partment will try to make It plain thae
the United States ought to provide IL
self with an ample supply OF reserve
ammunition for rifles and machlhe
guns and field guns OF ali Sorts anu
coast artillery. Moreover. 1t VIII oe
urged that the United States must pro-
vide Itself with plenty OF rihes. ma
chine guns and all manner OF ordnance.
congress. will be told the European
war mas UeHOnblIdlS~ shS
need OF such things. regardless Oh
whether the army is increased
Demand For Guns Great.
1t Will be pointed out to congress
that as to she'll. shrapnel and ammuni-
ton generally this country can on
short notice make large supplies
Hence. a reasonably large reserve sup
ply would fill the bill. But the manu-
facture of field guns. machine guns
rifles and siege guns takes time. II
would be Impossible to equip an army
of an kind-even one Of the kind that
sprung into being between sunrise ana
sunset, which Mr. Bryan says wouio
happen-without plenty OF rifles ana
guns, This means, OF course, plenty
of guns Of 3-inch and upwards. plenty
OF machine guns and magazine rines OF
the best modern sort 1t would take
many months, year or more, to pro-
vide these things. A year Would. IN
fact, be too short time and IN that
wear defeat might come. SO the war
department will advocate that as 10
those things for an army which take
most time for manufacture, special
measures for preparedness be taken.
Army officers say that If the country
Is going to trust to luck, 1t Will be the
mart of common sense to do this trust
ing with respect to things which can
be quickly manufactured and not 10
things which take many months, even
years, to make.