The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-09-28
Senator White Is Chosen President and Everett
 Made Secretary
BREWSTER TALKS ON
 NATIONAL DEFENSE'
Field Secretary of National Security League Heard by Members of Civic Chamber-TO Perfect Organi-
 zatiOn in Few Days

Senator Frank \, Nnlte was unanllhous- 1 ly elected president of the Birmingham 1 branch of the National Security league, which was organized yesterday after noon at the Chamber of Commerce audi torium w Blanks Everett was elected secretary and treasurer. The organiza
 ton will be perfected at a meeting to be called by Senator White in a few days. 1 The organization of this branch was | brought about by visit to the city Of William B. Brewster. field secretary Of the Natoinal Security league, who made
 an address yesterday afternoon at the
 Chamber of Commerce auditorium on I National Defense" Senator White pre- sided and introduced the speaker.
 MT Brewster opened his address by
 stating that the rather slim attendance at the meeting was of itself an evidence I that there was need in Birmingham of 1 branch of the Security league. In 1 stirring appeal to the citizenship to pre- pare for war MT. Brewster pointed out
 the weakness of our present defenses, 1 both on land and sea, and declared that
 as we stand today we would be no match | for any of the great powers. He declared
 that tho talk of the pacificists about l not raising our boys to be soldiers" to | be silly and unpatriotic. He said that
 the nation is not militaristic, but that it
 was far cheaper to pay for being defended
 than to be levied on for being conquered.
 At the conclusion of his talk he in-
 vited those present to join the Security league and as a result the Birmingham
 branch was organized. Several short
 talks including one by Senator White, in-
 dorsng the movement. were made. MT. 1 Brewster stated that as soon as the peo-
 pie realized that the purposes of the league were defense, not defiance. there | would be no trouble in getting strong organization here:
 l MT. Brewster said in part:
 | Our foreign policies are only as strong
 as our ability to enforce them, and our security is only as strong as our defenses are strong. Safety first Is our motto. We stand for only one thing and that IS pro-Americanism. We have only 30Oo0
 mobile troops in continental United States
 and they are distributed between 52 army posts many of which were established as l a protection against warning Indian tribes and even this small army Is short of officers. ammunition and equipment, and has no organized reserve. Therefore, l the addition of raw recruits In an emer- l l cers are our most urgent need both in the army and navy, and 1t takes time to ere ate officers. Therefore we must begin without delay. Also, it requires some skill to handle modern artillery. Napo- 1 leon held that good artillery officer re- quired from 10 to 12 years practice. Also, 1 it required some practice to fire with any degree of accuracy, our modern Mausers land Springfield rifles. Our National Guard l is below it's paper strength in officers,
 men. equipment and efficiency.
 Recently in Michigan and Wisconsin 1 bills introduced into the legislatures there l providing for a slight increase In the Appropriation for the National Guard were opposed by nearly every farmer member, l not because the farmers were any less patriotic than others, but purely because l they were utterly unacquainted with our lack of preparedness and the necessity for prompt action. Therefore, we are 1 prosecuting our campaign of education 1 to correct the senseess and erroneous op- position. Our navy is exceeded in ton- | mage by Great Britain, Germany and l France and many of our ships are obso- lete. Our navy is not well balanced. We are short of fast scout cruisers, battle | cruisers, aerpolanes, mine layers, subma-
 rines, supply ships and transports. Tar | get practice has been neglected. The 1 navy is inadequately manned. has no or ganized reserve of trained men available | in event of war. We canont create a | navy over night. It takes time to train men for the service We have 2l,000 miles of coast to defend, and insular possess sons to protect, besides guaranteeing the neutrality of the Panama canal. We
 need a mobile army of sufficient size to
 hold an invading army in check until we could mobilize our National Guard and l reserves. Our aviation corps is in its in fancy and our navy Is blind. The board of aeronautics in 1913 recommended the purchase of 50 aeropsanes-one fleet dirigi-
 ble and two small drigibles for training but at present the total number of air
 craft of any kind consists of 12 aero lanes, not more than two of which are of the same type and all having little speed and carrying capacity for service work. Our army reserve consists of 16 men. It would be humorous were it not tragic. In case of war we would be able to summon an army fin this country of only about 5000 officers and 14S.O00 men. including the regulars and the National l Guard. Impractical dreamers tell us that millions would arise at once in defense of our country in case of attack. They. might arise in their patriotic fervor. but they would be unofficered untrained, un- equipped and would constitute an undi- gestive mass of men, It would not be an army, but an unorganized mob.
 "Safty first is not state of mind, but a state of preparedness. Because we have been at peace for some years does not argue that we will not be at war at some future time, and our best assurance of continued peace is our thorough pre- paredness for war. It is far cheaper to pay for being defended than 1t Is to be T,,. hofy pnn rad