Evening star., 1915-11-18
F. L. Huidekoper, Student Of
Military Affairs, Says 1t
Breaks Down Under Stress.
ADDS ORGANIZED MILITIA
LAUGHING STOCK ABROAD
Delivers Address on preparedness
Before Civic Section of Twen-
tieth Century Club.

Ihe volunteer system of national de-
tense puts government in the atti-
tude of a suppliant. 1t is always over
expensive. 1t has in it's train costly
pension system, and, finally and worst
of all, it breaks down every single
time that it is submitted to the stress
of real conflict.
This criticism of the method of main
tanning the fighting strength of the
United States and of some other ma
tions was voiced by Frederic L. Huide-
koper, student for many years of mill
tary affairs. and lately returned from
a tour of observation of part of the
European war, in an address on Pre-
paredness." delivered before the civic
section of the Twentieth Century Club
meeting this morning in All Souls Uni
tartan Church, 14th and l. streets
northwest, and presided over by Mrs.
Gilbert H. Grosvenor
Mr. Huidekoper cited the experience
OF the northern states in the civil war
and their final compulsory adoption of
the draft in 1863 as a fair sample. He
declared himself as most dubious about
Lord Derbys volunteer system at pres
ent in force in England. stating that
conscription in that nation seemed
inevitable, and added
What we would undergo in similar
circumstances would be far worse than
anything England is experiencing"
A frank exposition of the insufficient
offensive and defensive forces of the
United States and what he termed as
worse than short -sightedness of Con-
gress was the theme OF the speakers
remarks, backed up by statistics.
Years to Drive Invaders Out.
"Take a line drawn from Erie Pa
on the great lakes, through Pitts
burgh to Baltimore" he said, "and
imagine this line held by a hostile
force. Allowing the usual man to
yard. a total of only $4,000 troops
could accomplish this. Then remember
that 81 per cent of our steel plants, 81
per cent of our powder plants and so
per cent of the total wealth of the
while from the same territory come IS
per cent of our army and navy re-
cruits. 1t would take ten years, in
such case for the central and west
ern portions to equip themselves to
carry on the war; it would take, in
other words, ten years for us to drive
the invaders out. You can strangle a
giant by the throat as easily as kill
ing him in any other way"
Mr.. Huidekoper took up in turn every
phase Oh the national QefenSeS-naVy,
coast defenses, cavalry, infantry, ar
tillery, hospital corps, aerial corps, Ma
tional Guard, etc.-discussing the ac-
knowledged insufficiency of men, am
munition, guns and~>quipment of every
sort in every branch. Even allowing
that an army of a million men could
be raised. he said, it would take fac
tories here at their present capacity,
war orders from abroad and all, one
year to turn out the necessary rifles
for these troops.
The United States has no coast de-
fenses whatsoever" he explained, "only
harbor defenses, and they are short
Just 10000 men, leaving on duty one
third Of the number needed to man
their guns for twenty-four hours. Most
of the guns are obsolete and are dis
tinctly inferior to the newest naval
arms. 1t is a fact that such ships as
England's newest super-dreadnaught
could blow any harbor defenses we
have to smithereens and never come
within 1000 yards of the range of their
best guns. AS for the ammunition
question, it runs through every branch
of both services, although the navy in
this, as in many other ways, has great
ly the advantage of the army.
TT is sad but true that. in spite Of
many boasts often heard to the con-
trary, the influence of the United
States is due more to external circum-
stances than to its own efforts"