Omaha daily bee., 1915-02-23


more extensively than anything else we
could do. E. L. HALLER'
The United states Army and Navy.
LITCHFEILD, Neb., Feb. 19.-To the
Editor OF The Bee: The present conpli-
cations IN Europe as to what constitutes
the war zone will speedily become
menacinR matter IL the United states
lists TO the voice Of the siren" and al
lows England TO dictate as to the right
of the neutrals upon the high seas When
England declares the German coast In
the war zone and prohibits the shipment
OF arms and foodstuffs TO Germany. has
not Germany the right to declare the
English coast in the war zone and 20
warn neutral nations as to the fact? To
ali fairminded persons they have and It
also goes to prove that Germany is meet
ing the neutrals upon the level and acting
upon the square.
But providing that the United States
lists not. shall this nation trust to the
good will of cher nations of be ready to
defend itself. We hear the arguments
that this country should have no dogs OF
war for fear that we may turn them loose
upon SINE innocent bystander. The time
has come they say when this nation
should set an example by trusting to the
good will of other nations. Has human
nature so changed within the last few
weeks that we can now leave everything
to peace treaties. The peace hall at The
Hague is covered with cobwebs and
scarcely shred of the two Hague treaties
is left. A nation built upon peace treaties
can not long endure. What are you going
to do when your more powerful neighbor
disregards these treaties and trails your
flag into the dust? Are we going to have
a Sunday school parade in lieu OF sold
iers? Can we defend ourselves by Chau-
tauqua lectures and drinking grape juice7
But they say that after this war there
will be an International army and navy
to enforce treaties and thus assure peace.
So can / sit in an easy chair in a warm
| office upon o cold winters day and
dream that I am under southern Cali
fornia's sunny skies. but does that les
sen the cold when so outsider But they
say that we can arbitrate. Can you
arbitrate race hatred? Can you arbitrate
| the hatred OF the German for the French
man? Can you arbitrate slavery? 1t
was tried for fifty years and ended in
war Can you arbitrate the Monroe
Doctrine? No one is so foolish as to sug-
gest It. We have a doctrine for the ex-
clusion OF the Asiatics and we are ready
to fight for it. Do we want to be In the
position Of the toothless old dog in the
manger. saying. "You can't come It herr"
but being unable TO bite and keep him out
IL he does comesG The arbitration of a
policeman with q club is more effective
to two fighting men than for him to say.
please cut II out"
The assistant secretary Of the navy re-
Gently said that the navy was short
1s.0OO men. According to Congressman
Gardner, the navy has twelve super
dreadnaughts. ten pretty fair battleships.
eight venerable relics and four floating
masses of scrap iron. There are three
scout cruisers in the United States navy
and with the greatest coast line OF any
nation IL has the poorest equipment OF
submarines.
But we have coast artillery, they say
Our coast artillery are manned with guns
with a range OF a mile and one-half less
than the guns on the new English and
German warships A foreign fleet could
remain one and one-half miles outside
the range OF the guns In New York hRr-
Dor and destroy II without the loss OF q
single man. After landing there Is moth
ing to bar the path Of the invader, moi
even 3 strand Of barbed wire
The army is t0.Oo0 strong. a body OF the
same size as the combined police force
OF New York. Chicago. Philadelphia and
Boston. Sixty per cent Of the militis
were unable TO qualify as third class rifle
men and % per cent did not even try Al
the recent tests. We hear 50 much about
the effectiveness OF the forty-two cent?
meter sixteen and one-half-inch) Ger
man siege gun. The LARGEST siege guI
in the United States army lie a six-incl
gun.
Some boast OF our military aeroplanes
The navy has just seven aeroplanes tina
can get out of each others way, and tn,
army has eleven that can get off tn,
ground. The army has no dirigibles o.
zeppelins and not one OF the aeroplane,
Is even armored.
But the paeifioists say that after thii
war the warning nations viii be worn on
and ready for peace So France though
when they invaded Mexico after the eivi
war. But they say these nations are al
, our friends. So they are now, but how
long viii il last2 There has been war