Semi-weekly herald., 1915-08-02
UNPREPARED FOR WAR.


Making all due allowances for Rich
ard Harding Davis having the fiction
instinct developed to remarkable de-
gree, we cannot dismiss his charge Of
national unpreparedness for war with
out serious consideration. The fact
that one of our leading magazines
gives his charge prominent position
makes it all the more entitled to our
attention.
Mr.. Davis is war correspondent.
He knows conditions in many coun-
tries. He has followed the armies of
many nations, knows their equipment
their personal possibilities. Therefore
in the magazine article he advances
it without hesitation. He frankly ad-
mits that We're Germany, or any other
first-class power, to go to war with
us she could force US to pay for
peace at her own price" He files
bill of particulars which is quite in
teresting.
To begin with, Mr.. Davis points
out, while our regular army numbers
about 100000 men on paper, one
fourth are virtually non-combatants
men Of the coast artillery or fixed
posts, men of the quartermaster or
commissary departments, men in
charge of ordnance and transport,
musicians, teamsters and cooks. 10
garrison the Philippines, Hawaii,
Porto Rico, Alask and the Panama
canal would require 5000 men.
That would leave to guard the entire
United States $4,000 men in the reg
ular service. The fact that Belgium,
although only one-fourth the size of
New York, put into the field an army
twice as large as the entire army OF
the United States and was promptly
overwhelmed by Germany is used to
good advantage by MIR. Davis III his
showing of how unprepared we are,
But, says the scoffer, our army may
be weak, but we have great navy.
Let Mr.. Davis answer. We have
coast 5000 miles long and 1--WE have
not enough submarines to guard one
single, solitary seaport" he declares,
adding: eve have navy that lnla
protect the harbor of New York, bu:
not at the same time the harbor OF
Boston, nor the harbor of San Fran
cisco, nor any other harbor; nor the
Panama canal, that cost us $375, ,000,-
000.'. But, the. scoffer persists We
have for.s protecting many of these
seaports; what of them? Mr.. Davis
declares that any Of the German
first-line ships, or the Queen Eliza
beth of England, could lie at the end
Of Rockaway beach and, beginning at
the Battery, wipe out New York city
up to Fourteenth street. He adds:
"And none of our guns could touch
her." Why becaue the Queen Eliza
beth could throw shell 21,000 yards
or twelve miles and there is no gun
at Sandy Hook or at Ft. Wadsworth
or Ft. Hamilton that can carry 49,
900 yards.
There remains the question of guns
and ammunition. "a month ago."
says Mr.. Davis, "Mr. Bryan told us
that at the call of war over night
a million men would leap to arms. Mr.. |
Bryan did not explain, when they
leaped, where they would get the
arms. If he knows he should not keep
it to himself. No one else knows" ,
He asserts that 100000 of Mr.. Bry-
ans million strong cohorts would be
forced to protect their native land
with bricks and pitchforks. 'Tf they
want to die for their country" he
continues, their wish will be granted
them. They will certainly die"
What of shells for the big guns?
Mr.. Davis quotes Gen. Leonard Wood.
in his testimony before congress, as
saying that at the battle of Mukden,
in nine days the Russians expended
more than 100000 rounds Of ammuni-