The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1915-01-07
THE ARMY QUIZ
IS SHACkLEO
BY CONGRESS
GARDNER SAYS U. S. TROOPS
WOULD ONLY GARRISON PARIS.
HAVE ONLY 634 FIELD GUNS
Representative From Massachusetts
Complains to House Military
Committee That Resolution
Had Been ShackIed.

Washington, Jan. 5.-"Our whole
field army. militia. regulars and all
would just about garrison Paris You
have stunned a real inquiry into the
condition of our army. What have
you done, what have you invesu
gated"
Representative August P. Gardner
of Massachusetts. in this fashion
complained to the house military az
fairs committee that his resolution TO.
an inquiry into the preparedness OF
the United States for war had been
shackled.
Turning his verbal shrapnel upon
the small army" Mr.. Gardner con,
tinued:
There are 2O,4O5 regular United
States soldiers available for 4 fed
army, according to Secretary of War
Garrison. If all of them were ordered
into trenches they could man a single
line about fourteen miles long. There
are 19l,0S7 mlitiamen or national
guardsmen in the United States and
there are just 16 men in the United
States reserve. In other words, until
new army could be organized,
drilled and equipped, we have just
1886 men to summon to take the
field. If every one Of them answers
the summons they can man a single
line of trenches about sixty-five miles
long, just about tWo-thirds the CiTcum-
ference of Greater New York. by the
way.
Only 634 Field Guns.
I'VE have in our possession only
634 completed modern field guns and
howitZers altogether That is to say,
we own a little over half the guns
which Russia had at the battle Of
Mukden. Yet any ordinary engage
ment of this European war makes the
battle of Mukden look like a peace
conference
General WotherspOOn, chief of staff
OF the United States army. tells US in
his recent report that European
armies average more than five field
guns for each 1000 men, so our GA
guns would only equip a modest little
army Of $4,000. To be sure, we have
appropriated for 226 more guns. but
they are not ready.
After all, what good would the
guns be without ammunition? The
secretary of war expects to have $50.
600 rounds of artillery ammunition
ready by July l.
u hope he is right It Is worth re.
membering that in a single battle Of
the Japanese war, Russia shot away
nearly half that amount. General
Wood tells us that 200 rounds of am.
munitiOn a day is a fair expenditure
for a gun under battle conditions, so
you see that our GA guns can next
July be provided with Just about four
days ammunition apiece, If Secretary
GarrisOn's hopes are fulfilled
Some weeks ago Major General
Wotherspoon, chief Of staff. wrote to
the secretary of war informing him
that for the full equipment Of az
army OF 100000 men in case of war
we are short 4OO,OO0,OO0 rounds Of
rife ammunition and II 100000 rounds
Of artillery ammunition.
You summoned General CrOZieI
who has been chief OF the ordnance
department for thirteen years, and
you extracted from him the admission
that his own work was most commend.
able. Yon did not drive home the
questions which would have driven
home II I had not been muzzled.
six.Inch Biggest Gun.
Why didn't you follow up the
question Of heavy field guns when you
had General Crozier on the stand? ?
Why didn't you ask him to point out
why Germany uses 11-inch guns to
batter trenches If the 3-inch guns
to scatter shrapnel are all that
is needed? You know. Mr.. Chair.
man. that the biggest movable gun in
the United States army is the 6-inch
howitzer and we only have 50 Of them
completed. Yet the Germans have Is
inch howitZers and 12h-inch howit-
Zers and S-inch mortars and the Eng
fish have 92-inch howitzers. What
big guns the French may have | do
not know"