New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-12-14
PEARY TELLS HOW
TO DEFEND STATE
Would Adopt Swiss SyS-
TEN and Raise Million
Men in As Hours.
SEES NO NEED TO WAIT
FOR FEDERAL ACTION
Economic Club Told of Aero
Patrol To Be Established
on Maine Coast.

The adoption Of the Swiss military
spstem by separate states was urged
last night by Rear-Admiral Robert +.
Peary. speaking before 500 members Of
the Economic Club az its annual dinner
in the Hotel Aston. Our National De-
fence" was the subject. and when the
discoverer of the North Pole suggested
the immediate installation OF a system
that would enable New York state
alone 10 place 100000 trained sol
diers on her borders in forty-eight
hours his remarks were hailed with APP
plsuse.
THE adoption of the Swiss system
as a national proposition has been ad-
vanced," Admiral Peary declared, but
so far az | know no one has advanced
IL as a state measure. This permits
action at once, pending action by Con-
gress for the nation. which must %
necessity be slow and admits and al
lows many OF the more exposed and
vitality interested state 10 begin edu-
eating and training their men immedl-
atey without waiting for the more
apathetic states"
On the same percentage as Switzer-
land, he declared, New York would be
able to place million men in active
! service i'm two days, while the strength
/ of the country's reserve would be
about 100000. To the dining econ
| omists he extolled the advantages OF
| the Swiss system, which appealed SO
strongly 20 Theodore Roosevelt.
/ "A year ago last August" Mr.. Peary
/ said, switzerland, a particularly peace
/ full. commercial, non-militaristic little
republic, with an area about twice that
of Massachusetts and a population
about the same as that state, 100000
/ at a sudden call placed 100000 trained
I citizen soldiers on her frontiers In
/ forty-eight hours"
/ Even If the United States were never
/ called upon TO place It's soldiers IN
/ the field. the benefits derived from the
+ training and instruction would make OF
/ them better citizens physically, he de-
clared
Admiral Peary told Of the first United
/ States coast aero patrol, which -
shortly TO be established at Casco Bay
/ Maine, near his summer home II IS
planned, he said, TO have the coast di-
vidcd into sections with stations about
one hundred miles apart.
This aerial coast patrol is the idea
/ Of John Hays Hammond, jr.,' said Ad.
miral Peary, land has the approval OF
/ the President, the Secretaries Of tho
/ War and Navy departments, the Aero
/ Club and other aeronautical organiza'
tions. It's estimated cost is only $40O,-
/ 600 20 100000. a sum only one-thirc
as great at that which France and
Germany raised by popular subscrip
ton previous to the war for their ayia
tion departments
Others who spoke for preparedness
were David Jayne Hill, former UniteC
States Ambassador TO Germany; An
drew D. White. president Of the frs
Hague Conference; Professor Alber
Bushnell Hart, Of Harvard University
and o. G.. Willard.
1--WE are going" said ex-Ambassadol
Hill, "to have this subject Of national
defence discussed with animation, a
food tide of elocution and perfect
blast Of rhetoric, such as we have not
heard in this country in long while