Grand Forks daily herald., 1915-11-19

the south may be looked to turn more
stabilizing the cotton situation and in
creasing our national production Of
foodstuffs. At the same time it will
bring the south into closer touch with
the rest Of the country in trade and
Industrial conditions and hasten its
fuller development
PREPAREDNESS AND MuITAR-
ISM.
The Saturday Evening Post appears
to be unable to see no difference be-
tween a reasonable preparedness for
national defense and aggressive mill
tarism Of tho worst sort. AS basis
for ridicule of larger military pro-
gram for this country the Post says:
Russia has a standing army Of a
million and a quarter men, but is
held up al shocking cause Of unpre-
parodness France, with universal
three-year service, had taken but a
few toddling steps in the right direc-
ton. England, with navy capable
not only Of defending her own terri
tory. but Of sweeping and holding the
Seven Seas, fs pointed to again and
again as quite CHASTITY example of
utter preparedness. And it Is toler-
ably clear now that il Germany had
been really prepared for war, France
would not have stopped her at the
Marne."
This Is the frst time that we have
ever seen any intimation that Ger
many was not prepared, and prepared
thoroughly, for war. Her entire male
population Of military age was in a
constant state Of military training,
ready to jump, night or day, when
ever tho kaiser snapped his finger
and that vast military organization,
the most complete In the world. was
equipped with everything, down % to
the last possible item. that could be
used effectively in war. And the
military organization of Germany set
tho pace for the rest Of Europe.
Without that as the measure of ne
cessity Frances organization would
have been superabundant. With it,
Frances equipment. though large,
was inadequate. Russia had an i'm
mense standing army, but 1t was no.
torious that that army was inade-
quately equipped, and armies cannot
we'll fght with bare hands. Without
that equipment Russia has been en-
gagged for months. not in the tasH of
driving invaders from her land, but
In holding together for service on a
later day her poorly supplied troops
on their long retreat before a better
equipped enemy. Great Britain had
and has, magnificent navy. Had it
not been for that navy Germany, in
the early days of the war, would have
annihilated the inferior naval force
of France, German ships would have
harried the coasts Of France, and the
French armies which, as 1t was, were
concentrated on the one task Of
stemming the German invasion from
the north, would have been scattered,
for hundreds of thousands OF men
would have been needed to protect
the Atlantic coast, and even the Med
iterranean coast, from invasion by
sea- Paris would have fallen within
a few weeks; there~would have been
ample time to break the Russian
forces before their mobilization was
completes; German guns planted at
Calais would have swept the chan
mel; German invasion Of England
would have been simple and easy:
and the kaiser, many months ago,
had he desired, could have dictated
terms of peace to- PROSTATE Europe
from his military headquarters in.
London.
And yet England was not prepared
for war. Doubtless she could have
remained out Of this present conflict.
But what then? II, disresarding
sentiment, disresardins treaty ebliga-
tions, disresardins everything but her
own selfish interest, she had decided
to remain aloof. what would have
been the result? She would have
seen Belgium raviahed and annexed,
and France and Russia beaten to
their knees. Then she would have
been obliged to try conclusions with
Germany flushed with victory, with
an army unaqualIed in size and ef-
ifectiveness in tho history OF the
world, with navy second only to
her own, and with an army just about
large enough to do police work in
few Of the larger cities. Great Brit
ain has. since the war started. or
ganized an army of three million
men. Had her military system been
such that she could have placed such
an army, fully drilled, armed and
equipped. into the field within two
weeks. or month. after notice was
giyen. there would have been no war.
The odds against Germany would
have been too great. She would not
have faced certain and speedy aisas-
tsr, and she would not have dared 10
make the test, Because she, who
could thus have held the balance, had
not an adequate land force, Great
Britain has seen The entire continent
| drelehsA In hiseA shynAyeAs % thouy
esnAs of the Dest yOilns men yiii iii 3
natisn pavf bssn killed other Jnul-
l titudss have been nasimed lor' iife;
laud billions q dolisfs cf M saith
lg4l3 A. az ~, - 81 IN