The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-12-11
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Su'cAiS A'""'0
To II EDITOR OF THE SvN-Sir: To
be Ia TO be ready to act at
a moment's notice. The value OF any
plan of national defence centres in Its
availability when the arrives to
test II. In other words. the only pre-
p~aredness worth while Ia 'instant' pre-
paredness. viii you permit a more or
less close student Of national and in
ternationaa afraira 20 doubt II the plan
to be submitted to Congress has the
approval of the naval and military au-
thorities? That olan calls for the es-
tabiiahment OF a very large army re-
serve. created nv volunteer service for
a few month"; each year and the very
extensive enlar mn of u naval
forces Through a building programme
running over A Deriod Of from six to
EIGHT yeara.
II hsa haan .aid that there are hut
thres ways In which the United States
can he attacked. viz. the Atlantic coast,
the Pacific conut and the Canadian bor-
der T>his doen not take into conp,dera-
HON the Nexican border, the Panama
Canal. the west indian islands. Hawaii,
tho Phiiippines. Aiaska or the Monroe
Doct r,ne. All of thene. however, might
be Included in the coast c~ategories
except the Mexican border, and that we
nave with us alyvaya. There u no great
likei,hood NJ troubls on the Canadian
border. and n there was trouble the
trouble would also be on the Atlantic
coast.
The danger. II Il exists. 10 to
the Atlantic and Pacific coast lines.
A IarSe citisen army would be of
no great avail against a Power
ATTACKING either or both coasts un-
less We admit thai We are unable to
keep awav tina enemy'a UarHhips and
TRANSPORTS. Tn coast must be defended
by submarines. mines and forts. The
American navy IA second to mono In
personnel and such equipment as Il has,
hut I MIN mat naval commanders will
say that Il would be foolhardy for the
Atlantic feet IN risk hattie unless It
knew that the defeat of whatever force
IL wa obliged to meet meant a decisive
blow at the enemy's naval
In other words. Il might not be wise 10
allow an enemy to send to our waters
a feet largo enough to tempt the Amer.
lean feet 10 hattie and which. even II
defeated. could inAlc. enough damage
to mako the way easier for the next
feet which came over.
II would seem. then. that our first
line OF outer defence must consist OF
the ~seaRoine e,rbna rine. Have we
enough submarines for such a purpose ?
We have not Have we mines enough
for the mining of every harbor on both
coasts, the canal. and our outlying pos
sessions? We have not. do not know
lust how well the coast forts are
equipped or manned. but Congress cam
not do better thar to see that h are
SO equipped and manned at once.
II there ia no cause for alarm in this
country then the campaign for national
defence Is a fraud, 1 believe there ma,
be cause for alarm. IL there ia cause
for alarm Il must be because some ma
ton or combination OF nations may
plan an attack upon us, The pretext
could easily he found when. after the
war IN Europe. some of the nations try
tn crowd our muer of the seas or
because we persist In declaring that a
brown man need not expect to erjoy
freedom with n white man.
II there ia danger will somebod .
please exp,ain whv tho United states
expects that the nation or nations which
eNpect TO attack us will wait six or
eight Years before doing 40. or until We
have completed our defensive ,nea s,res
Has there been some oracular DECLARE.
ton TO that effect. or has the boil, from
| the sky which struck Europe a wear ago
last July no lesson for the United states:
War il made when those engineering /.
want Il made. IL YOU no cunning for a
! man. knowing hat he will get YOU a,
| Won will get him. Won don, wait until
| he has barric,ded himself behind the
armored shield OF a loaded rand fir,
gun. II YOU see a prairie fire comins
| YOU start a backhrc. don't YOU?
Won't some one tell Congress tina,
what the United States needs is an in.
start. emergent defence Won't som,
one p,.ase tell Congress that tn. elab.
CRATE programme outlined nv the Ad.
ministration Ia not worth two cents &c
the people unless II "a backed IN bv n
| defence which shall be instantly erec.
| tive Won't some one please tell Con.
rress that the lesson of the present war
| The lesson written I'm blood and destrur.
ton IN belgium. IN France. in England
In Russia. in Serbia and a, the Darda.
| nelles. is the suprcme value of In.
slant defence? Won't some one tel
Congress that without that sort of de.
| fence. and in our case that sort OF a
defence is a naval and coast defence
a modern ARMY equipped with moderr
artillery would reenact here the wofu'
scenes OF Europen