Evening journal., 1915-02-04

in time of national peril upon
citizenry trained and accustomed to
arms? Does he advocate in all sin
cerity a system identical with that
pursued by France, Germany Rus
sia, Austria and Italy-what is COM
monty known as a standing army?
That is what his words mean in
reality, but the phrase Is so ingeni-
ously framed as to be very deceptive
and it conveys a sense quite differ
ent from the actual meaning of the
words.
Might still makes right after nine
teen hundred years OF Christianity,
and no nation in its whole history
has ever neglected its strength with
out paying the penalty None but
regular soldiers can adequately pre-
pare for war, and no intelligent man
would be foolish enf gh to think
that Germany could have put up the
resistance she has done except for
the wonderful preparation which she
made in advance. Never once have
we prepared for war beforehand, and
Is this lesson to pass unnOticed?
When President Wilson states that
"the country has been misinformed'
he says what is to a large measure
true. The average American knows
virtually nothing of the military his
tory of the United States. and in
most of the school books our mill
tary blunders and disasters have
been studiously minimized or COM
pletely concealed. Mr.. Wilson pro-
fesses to be a historian. Let him
answer what history will record II
he persists in his present attitude.
In strong contrast to him is the
attitude taken by one of his Cabinet
officers. Lindley NJ Garrison, whose
latest report as Secretary of War is
one of the most fearless ever made,
and just the sort of thing one would
expect from a man like him. MIR.
Garrison has dared to tell the truth
concerning our land forces, and he
takes issue fairly and sQuarely with
his chief on the subject of national
defence.
In his report he says that on June
80, 1914, we had in continental Uni
ted States .495 regular army Off
GERS and 29,405 men; that the or
ganized militia amounts to 1923 Of
icers and 119,0S7 men. He goes on
to say "and that is absolutely all.
+ The only other resources would be
volunteers, and to equip, organize,
train, and make them ready would
/ take. at tile smallest possible esti-
mate, six months. Anyone who takes
/ the slightest trouble to investigate
will find that i'm modern warfare a
prepared enemy would progress so
/ far on the way to success in six
months, if his antagonist had to wait
six months to meet him, that such
unprepared antagonist might as well
cOncede defeat without contest.
What Mr.. Garrison says is absO-
lutely true. and does any American
for one minute think that a force OF
1880 officers and men, three
fourths of which are only partially
trained, is sufficient defence for a
great nation like ours? 1t is higl
time that we Americans should
arouse ourselves to our defenceless
ness on land. Surely the present
war in Europe ought to offer sufh
cient example to stimulate us in TINS
respect, and both the people of tn,
country and President Wilson nigh
well heed the remarks made in the
London Morning Post of December
II, 1914, which says
I'VE cannot believe the British
Government would sanction any sor
of truce, even for a day, while the
German armies are in France anl
Flanders, and il our American
friends are inclined to twit us witt
failure to maintain our word as Il
Belgium let them consider wha
would happen if they were calle,
upon suddenly to defend the guaran
tee of the Monroe Doctrine agains
power like Germany, say in Soutl
America. Why, the United State
would be far more helpless to driv
/ the strong invader out of South o
} Central America than England find
! herself in the case of Belgium
, Are Americans now in a positio
{ to vindicate their word against vic
{ lence? Let them ask themselve
= that question before they condem
E ms out of hand. We see that Pres
- dent Wilson in his message to Cor
/ gress declares that the country mus
- depend upon the volunteer systel
4 for defence His arguments make
S us smile, and they also tempt us {
e weep.
- Just as President Wilson speah
of moral insurance against war S
h the Liberals used to say that the
u defence was not to be the navy, bl
2 the precepts of international Law
5. and if Englishmen may presume
o warn their good friends and cousin
. in the United States out of the bite
G wisdom of experience, the warnin
4 would be this: That a nation ca
c only live its own life if it has pow'
Y TO protect that life.
l. Therefore our good friends Il
s. Americans would be wise not to pla
n with such pretty notions as that W;
= may be interrupted for a Christm;
r truce. or that il may be averted
d moral insurances, but rather prepaI
3 against it, since adequate militai
preparation is the only means y
" devised by man to avoid the horro
d of war"