Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-03-13
NATIONAL UNPREPAREDNESS
FOR THE NATIONAL DEFENSE

A communication published in the
Sacramento Union contains so many
home truths re national unprepared
ness for national defense. that it can
not fail to be OF interest to people oil
the nations outpost Hawaii. !
The writer says: a. x.
In an editorial under date of Feb.
ruary II, decrying the agitation foI
an adequate national defense, the Sac
ramento Union quotes the following
from q speech made by Abraham Lin.
coin at Springfield, H., when the
speaker was but 20 years of age:
Shall we expect some transatlantic
military giant to step the ocean and
crush us at blow? Never! All the
armies of Europe, Asia and Africa
combined, with all the treasures Of the
earth Tour own excepted) In their mil
itary chest, with q Bonaparte for a
commander, could not by force take a
drink from the Ohio or make q track
on the Blue Ridge IN q trial of a
thousand years. "a
For once the great emancipator was
wrong. His speech proves nothing
but that he had not read the history
of Americas disgrace, her helplessness
in the War OF 1872. 1t was merely the
speech of q young man who had yield.
ed to the temptation to make the eagle
scream as was the IRasfion Of the day.
He even might haze made the speech
some years later at The beginning of
the Civil war Wfi6ii volunteers were
wanted for but 9Gtdays, jit being ex-
pected to. train the men and end the
conflict IN that time; but certainly 1t
was not the SPEECH Lincoln would
have made the second year of the
great struggle. after he had seen his
various armies Of citizen soldiers 60
down to defeat because of lack OF
training and knowledge Of fundamen-
tails of warfare on the part of them
selves and their commanders. when
he had learned how regiment after
regiment OF citizen soldiers who had
been wearing the uniform for almost
a year dropped their guns In the var
ions battles and fled at the first fire
linen whom Grant festifies in his me-
moirs, afterward. with proper and
longer training, became the best men
in his armiesl.
Peace Talk Called eombast.
Like Lincoln In the above speech,
the congressman Of 1912 were given
to the same sort OF vaingiorious bonn
hast that some of the present day
politicians employ. These earlier con-
gressmen were prone to. thrust their
hands In the breasts Of their coats or
waistcoats, and. swelling their chests
to declare in laundering tones that we
could lick the world. When the war
broke. these platform soldiers we're go
ing to conquer Canada IN 800 so days
with our lion hearted. intelligent cit
izen soldiery. They were still talk
ing when the Capitol was burned.
During that war England sent $4,000
regulars to- our shores. With the In
dams and Canadians her forces num-
'bered IS, 900 men. The United States
called IN 6.O33 regulars. and s471 ,622
militia, total Of 527. ga or ten Am
orleans to each Of the British truly
an enlightening ratio to the person
who boasts about licking the world.
Although outnumbered ten to one
and In an enemy,s country, the En-
glish did about as they pleased. While
the Americans had far superior force
numerically at Washington, d. G., be-
hind Notifications, the English calm.
" walked In, took the city and burned
the Capitol. In fact. the English force
was indicated on land until the close
OF the war with the exception Of the
battle Of the Thames. where 500 Brit
ish prisoners were taken. They found
no insurmountable obstacle to drink
ing from the Ohio river had they cho-
sen to do so, or to making tracks down
the Blue Ridge. But naturally they
determined to- strike where they could
do more damage and humiliate us
more than BY laying waste to a rural
section.
New Works Capture Terrible.
II In that day q city destroyed meant
more injury than the invasion OF the
country, how much greater. would be
the damages inflicted In this day and
age by striking at, say New York city.
the destruction of which would break.
every great life insurance company,
every great fire insurance company
and half the banks In the country, and
would utterly PROSTATE us financially.
However, let us suppose that Lin
coin had been right in his remarks at
that time; that an invasion could not
then have been accomplished. Such
does not prove that with modern facil-