New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-11-21
P0LIG0NLYARlNY
TO DEFEND COAST
Force Would Have To Be
Called to Repel Invaders,
Says Colonel Thompson.
TRAINING OF BOYS
URGED AT LUNCHEON
"Warshlps Are Cheaper than
Battles" He Tells Veterans
Of Spanish War.

There are . hundred points on the
Atlantic coast between Maine and the
capes Of Virginia where IN enemy
could land an army Of 100000 men, and
the largest body of trained men that
we could get there to repel them with
in two weeks Is the New York police
force"
Speaking to his fellow members Of
the Naval and Military Order Of the
Spanish War, Colonel Robert NJ.
Thompson, president of the Navy
League, made this statement yester-
day at a luncheon at the Machinery
Club.
Colonel Thompson, who vas intro
duced by Commander Albert Morits'
U. s. N. commander of the New YORK
Commandery of the Order, talked Tor
less than fifteen minutes, and Major
f. E. Hardin, one Of the later speak
ers. declared that no man could have
crowded more solid sense into speech
in that time on the subject OF pre-
paredness. =,
Build up your navy" continued
Colonel Thompson. "Battleships are
cheaper thsns battles. Some OF our
cities are protected, but our coast line
is undefended. The cost Of large
standing army is almost unthinkabie'
II is a fact that 60 per cent of the SOL
diers of the North in the Civil war
were under twenty-one years OF age,
and say IL they have to do the fight.
ing let them do the preparing. Out OF
million boys, 100000 OF them are
eighteen years old at the end OF every
two years.
ave have got two great schools
where we take boys from the country
and make soldiers and sailors of them.
There are no better schools in the
world than West Point and Annapolis.
spent ten days in the house of the
commanding officer of Japan's army,
and when told some people here that
Japan has 100000 men under arms
they laughed at me, but it is fact.
They take boys from eighteen to TWEEN
tv-one years old and give them the
hardest kind of drill early in the morn
ing and then four hours of book drill,
teaching them patriotism, discipline
and giving them q good education At
the same time. We can do the same,
and there is one thing certain with an
army like that to call upon-we never
would attack another nation and no
nation would dare to attack us. We
could 60 on in the path Of peace, afraid
of no one and attacking no one"
Rear Admiral Charles Dwight Sigs-
bee, L. S. ~, who declares that he is
the "baby" Of the order. and that he
will not be seventy-one for two months,
said: at seems this country is half
asleep. 1t is a fallacy to suppose that
We are ready. We, that fought in the
Spanish war, found that out. II takes
organization to fight war to success.
We must get our people to think as
unit-think as q nation. There is
very dangerous situation that will de-
velop at the end of this big war. There
will come 70 our shores horde OF
emigrants, 10 per cent or more, OF
whom are trained fighters"
Major +. Z. Hardin, of the army, said,
in part: 81 don't believe We want the
boys referred to by Colonel Thomp-
son, to train as long as two years.
believe q good regiment Of American
boys can be made in one year. Work the
average boy ten hours day with good
officers in command and we could have
10000 trained men every six months,
and then turn them loose. Storekeep-
ers and others would hire them gladly
for they would do what you tell
them to-"
Commodore Robert Gracey Denig, Y.
S. n, said that plans have been laid
to establish two preparatory schools as
feeders" for West Point and Annapolis,
so that more officers may DE turned out.
The $4,000 appropriated annually for
military training in the universities, he
said, was not always used for that pur-
pose. The preparatory schools. he de-
clared, could furnish 1000 men each
year to West Point and Annapolis.
The other speakers included Major
Louis, Livingston Seaman, U. S. ";
Lieutenant Charles s. Braddock, who
spoke of the preparedness of Siam,
which no nation. he said, would dare to
invade, and Chaplain Albert J. Bader.
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