The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-10-16
MACH|M|STS TO FIGHT
WARS OF FUTURE
Edison Talks Interestingly on How the
Country Should Prepare
For Defense.
KEEP MACHINERY GREASEl
Have Facilities Unlimited to Turn
Out Munitions, But Don't Start Fac
tories Until Material Ia Needed.

1Hitdko. oCt. 10 aHuetitd Is "a
country of ideas and the greatest ma
chine nation in the world said
Thomas A. Edison, chairman of the
United States Naval Advisory Board,
tonight in an interview granted in the
inventors private car at the North
western Station.
Mr.. Edison, who, with his party,
passed through Chicago on the way
to San Francisco, gave a startling
vision of the part he expects the
United States to play when the nation
is next called to defend itself.
Our next war will be the machine
war-the war of brains rather than
blood" said the inventor. 1T Is my
opinion that we should substitute ma
chimes for men, so that the efficiency
of each man in time Of war could be
multiplied by twenty through the aid
of machinery.
But the country must he prepared for
the ordeal. The two largest factors
in bringing about this preparation are
the newspapers and Congress. The
newspapers must arouse the people SO
that Congress will act in the hight
direction"
MIR Edison will you give us your
opinion on preparedness? a reporter
asked.
Opinion on Preparedness.
Everybody has opinions on prepar-
edness." replied the inventor. One il
lustration will give my opinion of pre-
paredness better than anything else.
There is a certain amount OF powder
that is shot up in Europe every day.
~ .
TT would be economy for us to
erect factories with capacity enough
to turn out daily just twice as much
powder as it being shot up in Europe
every day. These factories would not
be so expensive. But don't turn any
powder ont Just keep the factories
ready to do It when II Is NEEDED
Instead of making the individual
shells on lathes as they are being pro-
duced in Europe today. perfect ma
chimes that will be capable OF making
these shells at daily rate twice as
grea, as all the shells thet are used
every day in Europe. Only don't
make any shells. Just keep the ma
chinery creased up so that it can be
put to work any duy turning out the
shells.
Store Up BilIets.
"Then start storing up steel and
copper b!llets. The won't spoil.
Amass an enormous supply of them.
40 that the ammunition factories could
be started to work at any time and
kept going for a long time on ma
teriaI Immediately on hand.
"In other words. have the potenti-
atty rather than the thing itself: have
the capacity. but don't put 1t in use
until the time arrives ! am sort of
down on great military establishments
with the storing mp of enormous
amounts of prepared ammunition.
II don't think that we need any
enormous standing army. but We do
need a large number Of trained Of
ficers
I'VE should take the greatest pains
in the education Of these officers. so
that they will be able to take hold of
training the volunteers forces. which
am still inclined to gamble on. Then
these officers. after complete educa-
ton. should he turned back into in
dustry.
When shown newspaper report TO the
effect that woman had kissed him as
his train left town in New Jersey.
Mr.. Edison laughed and said; Il guess
I'll have TO look out or they'll be MAX
ing a Hobson out of me. The little
woman that kissed me was my daugh-
ter. Mrs John Sloan, OF New York. but
I guess the reported didn't know her"