West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1915-10-28
WAR Between MACH|nESlS
EDIS0N'S IDEA OF FUTURE
Great Inventor Thinks the Coming
Soldier Will be Maehinist-To be
Efficiently Prepared the United
States Should be Able to Mans
factmc Much Ammunition

tential preparedness for a war IN
which lighting is done by machines
not men. is Thomas A. Edison's ad-
vice to the United States.
In an interview while his car was
being transferred TO continue it's
Journey to the San Francisco Exposi-
ton. the chairman of the Naval Ad-
visory Board of the United States
gave his ideas of preparedness.
THE soldier OF the future will not
bc n sabre-bearing. bloodthirsty saw
age" said MIR. Edison. "He will be a
machinist. The war OF the future
that is. IL the United States engages
in twill be n war in which machines
not soldiers. fight. For that reason
we can gamble safely on "A volunteer
army. provided we have n great guam
uty OF officers trained and ready for
service In As hours to lead and drill
the new men"
| "Will you give in concise form your
idea of what should be done I'm Amer
lea for preparedness for or against
war?' he was asked.
| Well" he replied, refectively, my
idea of that may not be just the same
as the idea OF many people. Let me
see. Consider the great amount OF
powder being shot OF on the Euro
pean battle font every day. would
build great factories In which twice
as much powder as that could be man
ufactured l would locate and have
stored away enough material to make
up the powder. Then | would not
make IL. | would have everything
ready. 30 that within as hours | could
go ahead turning Il out.
| Then as To shells: | think Il is n
wasteful thing to make shells on
lathes, as they make them now. We
should get up shell machines for max
ing them rapidly and I'm enormous
| quantities. Then / would grease the
machines up and store them away
with n great quantity OF steel billets,
ready to be worked up on short no.
| tice. In fact, would make my pre-
paredness potential, and I would do IL
right away. The proposition should
not be a military one at all. I don't
like this military idea at all. II should
be done solely on an economical basis
| "a business basis.
building these powder factories
and these machines and ammunition
factories would not cost much. But I
would keep this I'm mind I'm preparing
to make stores and ammunition. 1
would prepare to turn out right along
twice as much as is being used now on
the whole European battle feld-then
| not make Il.
Now as to actual fighting. I would
rather use machines than men. A man
is only man, after all. a machine can
be easily as good as 20 men. Then one
man, using II, is as good as 20 men.
He should be at least that good II he
is American.
America is the greatest machine
country in the world, and its people
are the greatest machinlsts. They can
moreover, invent machinery faster
| and have IL more efficient than any
other two countries. 1t is n machine
nation; it's battle preparation should
be with machinery.
| II am down on military establish
ments. standing army is not worth
anything unless II is on a war foot
ing, which is absurd. We do need an
enormous number Of trained officers
and drill sergeants, however. These
should be trained right along. even
more than apparently would be need
ed, then turned back into industry.
"They should be kept I'm touch at
| stated intervals with the latest things
in warfare, so that they would be
ready as soon as telegraph and rail
road could summon them TO 20 into
active service. We can gamble on
| volunteer army. because the Ameri-
can Is the quickest minded human be-
ing In things mechanical He could
learn the use OF machinery of war
with sufficient dispatch for army use
In short, the new soldier will not be
a soldier. but machinlst; no will not
shed his blood, but will perspire I'm the
factory Of death at the battle line"
What IS the principal aviation def
cheney as you see Il ?" was asked.
"Oh. the motor question" Mr.. Edi-
son replied ''The motor situation is
only fair abroad, although their mo
tors are the best now made. But we
ought to be able to get a much better
one, and we need t."
What do you think OF the use Of
liquid fire and asphyxiating gases?"
They are perfectly proper for use
Tn defense, but not for onense. A man
has a right to claw. scratch, bite or
Kick in defending himself. but when
he Is In tho offensive. no."
"Hsve any ideas Of material value
been submitted to the Naval Advisory
Board?' he was asked.
"Ideasl' he exclaimed" /" Well bless
your heart I would say we have, We
are tabulatlng them as rapidly ss a
force OF clerks can work and we are
being ensulfed with IDEAS What is
more. we want them to keep coming.
The more the better. Anyone with en-
idea carefully thought out should send