Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1915-01-12
STUDY WARLE$QAS
Congress Will Wait for Results
in Europe. !
To Take No Action for National "a.
Tense Until Proof Of Offensive
and Defensive Efficiency 10
Produced,
BY EDWARD 9. CLARK,
By "HOP'

BY EDWARD 3. CLARK.
Staff Correspondent of the Western News.
per Union
Washington.-Congress is giving at
tention to the matter of military pre-
paredness.
Through speeches made in congress-
aad through the hearing before the
rules and military committees facts
are coming out concerning the navy
and the army Of the republic. No facts
r attested which have not been at
tested before, but today there Is 50
much interest in the general matter
Of preparedness that the committee
proceedings are getting wide publicity.
while in years past when the same
thing was told the committeeman,
little or no attention was paid to them.
The war in Europe has changed the
whole situation.
! Unquestionably congress will make
q study Of the lessons of the European
war by the military experts before 1t
appropriates money for specific types
Of big guns or of battleships. 1t does
not seem likely that the dreadnaughts
are to pass, although it does seem
likely that the submarines will be
given a much more permanent place
In the plan Of defense. Small field
howitzers may give way to big
field howitzers and it is barely pos.
sible that the big IL and 14-inch. sea.
coast guns may lose $heir emp1ace.
ments to the 16.inch guns, but before
final decision is made the EFFICIENCY
records Of the ships Of the war fleets
and the range and penetration fand
general destructiveness Of the differ.
ent types Of artillery weapons must
be determined. The present war is
depended upon to produce the proof
of offensive and defensive efficiency.
If the people of the United States
want to get in a nutshell the answers
to the question, What is the matter
with our army" let each individual
write to his representative in con.
gress and ask for senate document
No. 621 printed with the title, What
is the Matter With Our Army"
These answers Of high ranking OIL.
GERS and of high civilian officials were
contributed some time ago to a New
York publication. A senator Of the
United States secured permission to
have the answers printed as a public
document. Until recently there were
comparatively few calls for this docu.
ment, but it can be secured today and
in it can be found just what high
officials, military and civil, think is the
trouble with the land forces Of the
United States.
For instance there Is an answer to
the question made by former Secre.
tary of War Henry L. Stimson. He
cites examples Of the troubles and
says that they serve to show our
lack Of intelligent system in dealing
with u army" Then he adds:
These are all matters for US. They
demand the intelligent interest Of the
citizens just as much as they involve
his ultimate safety and welfare"
The answers originally appeared in
the New York Independent and the
opinions of the officials at the head
of the articles in answer to the ques-
ton were put into a few words. These
are some of the answers to
the query: What is the matter with
our army"
1T lacks. concentration" Major Gen
eral Leonard Wood.
1T is ~needlessly expensive" Major
General w. w. Wotherspoon.
1T lacks organization" Brigadier
General Clarence R. Edwards.
Its alienation from the people,"
Colonel Hunter Light.
Its piecemeal development and
divided control" Major George H.
Shelton.
The national failure to realize its
purpose" Brigadier General Robert
Evans.
The congress Of the United States
this session will attempt to find out
whether these officers are right or not
and it seems likely that the people
IS a result Of congressional debates
will be able to determine for them
selves just where our armed service
".