Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-11-25

The following excerpts are from a
copyrighted article, Arm or Surrender,
by Henry Rcutordah in the December
Metropolitan Magazine:
our patriotism is waning and drifting
away on the ebb tide of Indifference.
and as Il nation, our manhood is on the
decline. national conscience we have not.
No longer can an American hold up his
head abroad. our place in the world
Is that of money-bag. In Germany
we are laughed at, despised as spine
less weaklngs; our money alone is fear
ed. England thinks we arc towards and
American life commodity which can
hc paid for in cash. The French shrug
their shoulders.
will the sringoes Fight" NO" says
the Mexican. I'VE have ambushed their
soldiers, killed their men, burned their
homes ana raped their women; can We
do any more to make them fight?-but
they won't, the towards" This expresses
our standing in Mexico, whore an Amer
lean is thought no better than a taran
tula. And we stand for it. Even within
our own borders we are unable to pro-
tect our citizens. IN Naco. Arizona. the
right arm of the government guards not
the life of the Inhabitants Barrcades
of hay-bales before the windows keep
Mexican bullets from killing them in
their sleep; in the daytime they duck low
and trust to luck. We have become in
capable of rescnting insults. incapable of
protecting our citizens abroad, incapable
of defending ourselves against foreign
aggression. and incapable Of even con-
siderng the dire necessity of national
defense. Manhood suffrage means man
hood obligations. We cannot expect
somebody else to do our fighting for US
If our instincts prompt us to protect our
family, we ought to he trained and
ready to do it, and not shirk behind
someone else when trouble starts. We
have military as we'll as a civil respon-
sibity.
Right before our very eyes our navy
and army have deterorated So far, no
one cares. 1t has been demonstrated and
proved beyond argument that the Amer
lean navy Is not strong enough to main
tain the command of the sea and up
hold the Monroe Doctrine. With the
American fleet swept off the sea. the
enemy's Invasion on our soil becomes but
a matter of steamer schedule. Twice
this has been done in the war games
Of our own fleet; the defending ships
We're sunk" and the enemy" able to
land. Remember that the American
navy is but a tagging fourth in naval
statistics and much further down the
list in actua, efficiency. Voting millions
to-day VIII not make up for neglect of
ycSterday-and you do not make a navy
oy pressing a button.
With the navy destroyed the American
army alone must defend the country 1t
cannot do so 1t is unroady for war and
feeble in organization; smaller in
strength than the army of Montenegro,
toy-country, roughly $1,000 men. But
Its valiant bravery no man questions;
1t is acid proof
The army cannot defend all it's forts;
1t has no automobiles to transport all
its baggage; its shoes are for the par
ade ground and will wear out under two
months marching it has 10 motor-am-
balances for its wounded. Its supply
system cannot stand the strain of war
but will break down as it did during the
Spanish war 1t is without munitior
rains, armored automobiles armored
work, has ammunition but for "A coupl,
of days battle and with less than on,
hours supply for coast defense guns
and has not sufficient field artillery. Tn,
mobile army in the continental United
States is but little larger than twic,
the New York police force, and It's re
serve counts some l6 men. 1t masters
10 aeroplanes all of which cannot fly
How many Americans know that tn
Revolution was not like the glorious pic
ture painted by the Fourth of July ora
tor but that the militia ran away, mu
tinted or deserted, and that some VIII
fought demanded 81, 800 In bounty 70
wearing the soldiers coat; and how man
know that Washington was captured an
burned in 1914 by an inferior British fore
and at the cost of but eight Amer
leans killed and eleven wounded, tn
darkest page of cowardice and ineff
cheney in American history. Further
more, how many know that during tn
Civil War some twenty-five thousan
volunteer officers resigned or were cash
tered with dishonor or for incapacity rist
during the conflict and that over half
million men deserted, And how man
know of the mastery work of Genera
Emory Upton The Military Policy {
the United States" the epltaph of OF
slothful inefiiciency and unpreparednes
Uptons words still ring true. our ger
eral policy has followed that of China,
The near-army of six hundred thous
and, inclusive of the National Guart
Of which only 81 Dpr cent are efficieI