Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1915-01-20
Money That Should Have Been
Used to Build Army and
Navy Has Gone to "Pork
Barrel" He Says.
MAKES PLEA TO CONGRESS
Massachusetts Man Points Out
Evident Military and Naval
Shortcomings and Urges
Prompt Improvement.

Washington, Jan. l6.-In urging ON
the Senate the need for IA commission
to report on military preparedness, or
for a permanent council of national de-
fenSe. Senator Lodge today declared
that the national defense of the country
lis not only imperfect and unbalanced,
but that 1t has grave and i'm some in
stances fatal deficiencies. He desig-
mated what he terned many of the de-
tects and said they We're almost wholly
due to congress-"
An adequate national defense. the
senator said, could be obtained without
additional expenditure. cut off our
needless army posts. navy yards aud
stations" he advised the Senate. Lay
aside for Il few years appropriations
tor public buildings and river and nor
Dor improvements where they are not
needed. Drop all the expenditures which
are designed for spots. where votes are
lying thickest. and you will nave money
enough to provide for a sufficient army
and an adequate navy without adding
to the burden of taxation"
Invitation To Aggression.
He warned that the ocean barrier
that defended the country i'm 1716 and
in 1912 had been destroyed by steam
and electricity. Unarmed. unready, UNI
defended. the nation stands AN invita-
ton to aggression and attack. he said.
Senator Lodge asserted that not only
the regular army. but the militia Was
highly defective adding. thai the Pana-
ma canal was "miserably n most In
adequately protected" against being
blown up and blocked for months by
agents or spies of a hostile nation. He
said the recommendation of Secretary
Garrison for $4,000 increase i'm men was
very moderate.
He expressed regret that only l6 men
We're on the reserve list subject to be
called back to the colors to- fill mp the
gaps which war would make in the
regular army.
Short on Artillery.
Senator Lodge declared the army was
without sufficient artillery and nrtll-
lery ammunition and said available tes-
tin1ony showed that the guns I'm the
Notifications are of shorter range than
those carried by foreign warships of
the latest designs.
He said the army had practically no
motor trucks for transport, or rmor
motor cars with machine guns.
THE difficulty appears to be he con-
tinued. according to the war depart
mont, that no satisfactory motor truck
States"
Despite this. he said, Canada had
bought a number of American motor
trucks n apparently thinks them en-
tirely sufficient for use in the field.
Senator Lodge stated that there Was
apparently a sufficient number OF mines
for harbor defense. but that there was
a shortage of cable and mine planters.
Need More Submarines.
AS to the navy. Senator Lodge said,
more destrOyers We're needed. but tine
obvious weakness was i'm submarines.
The worst deficiency. he continued. was
in scout cruisers, the United States
having only three. against "a IN Eng
II in Germany. and IL in Japan.
we have, therefore, three scout
cruisers" declared the senator. TO
protect and give warning of the APP
proach of a hostile fleet for 5000 miles
Of oas on the Atlantic and Pacific.
II they were concentrated in the Az
lantic coast they would have TO cover
1000 miles a day to patrol the coast
and they are slow ships !,
The European wan, he SAID. had
demonstrated the value of air craft, YET
the army had only 1o aeropianes ana
no Zeppelins or dirigibie airships ana
no armored a%eroplanes and no gums
suitable for aeroplanes. The navy mas
IL ~aeroplanes and no Zepplins or DIR
igibles.
Senator Lodge stated that he had
been informed that the appropriation
IOr naVal air craft MAD no, peeA ~
pended the delay being due. among
other things. to failure OF the Amer
lean manufacturers to furnish aero
planes. He asserted the explanations
given We're no defense of the condi-
tions and said it seemed to MIN ldie 70
suppose that good %aeroplanes could not
be built in this country:
1T is quite possible" he concluded:
that the warning European nations
have not got the best conceivab'e type
OF aeroplanes. but they have large
numbers Of them. which are formldahle
and effective and which seem to an
swer every purpose