South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-07-22
WAR TRAINING IS
URGED FOR BOYS
Frank Dixon Advocates Method
of Preparing Country
Against Strife.

That military training should be IN
PRODUCED in the public schools is the
belief OF Frank Dixon, who lectured
before the chautauqua Tuesday Mil
itary training in the school for stu
dents between the ages of Il and is
would give the United states Dody OF
men 10 call upon IN time of war ana
do away with the present unprepared-
ness Of the army and navy, ne sald.
THE system that / advocate IS en-
tirely different from the German. Ii
is similar TO that OF the Swiss and the
one used in New Zealand. The Ger
man method Of militarism calls away
the man from his trade, his PROBES
sion, or whatever business he may De
in. The Swiss method does not de-
prive a man of two OF three of his
best years when he is about ready 10
make a start in life.
America is the least prepared for
war of any nation save China. Even
Switzerland can throw an army in the
field of 100000 men without mo-
ment's notice. Ex-Pres't Taft said
only recently that the military NUM-
bers of our standing army our mobile
troops, was only twice as large as the
New York police force. / am not ad-
vocating a preparation for war but a
think OF a standing army the size of
the one the United States has. and
think that they have 1000 miles of
coast to defend and a nation of 90
600, 600 people 20 protect, then the
idea seems preposterOus. l do not
find complaint with the soldiers that
we already have-they are good men
but represent only a handful.
Besides being the least prepared
for war except China we rank in an
other way with that nation. China
spends $150,000.000 on her army and
navy a year. Yet when Japan de
manded certain accessiOns. certain
privileges she gave up without even
the ghost of struggle. The United
States spends $1OO.00O,O00 for de-
Tense purposes vet relatively we have
the smallest army that ever existed on
any planet.
Again we have II navy yards. The
largest in California, is 80 miles in
land. and the channel that leads up to
il IS so small that a dreadnought can
not enter. And yet we are spending
money on a shipyard that is practic-
ally useless. 4 Germany on the other
hand has three navy yards, and has
the second largest navy in the world.
We spend enough money for defenSes.
10 is not that, but much of il Is wasted.
Do you know" he asked, that only
20 per cent of the money turned over
TO the navy for building of ships is
actually used for that purpose?
we are occupying today a most
dangerous position, dangerous because
our relations towards the other COun-
tries ase delicate. j am an alarmist
in the sense that were i 10 see "a house
on fire / should warn the occupants.
our present position is critical and
nothing but swift and decisive action
can make this country prepared
1T is not the democrats who are re-
sponsible for this unpreparedness. IL
rs the republicans that preceded them.
But the democrats are responsible for
adopting the policy of their predeCeS-
sors in not building up "a navy and
army. Admiral Fisk told congress
that il would take five years to put
the navy in shape for war And be-
cause he had the courage to speak out
bluntly and honestly he was imme-
diately retired.
Il ann glad that Mir Wilson is at the
helm. 1 DO not believe there is an
ADLER man i'm the whole country to
handle the present crisis than he. He
is a student of international law. OF
International affairs He is competent
Co handle the situation better than any
man there is i'm the country today
Il would advocate again that a ma
uOnal board of defense be organized.
Let these men be composed of army
and navy experts. They know best
what the nation needs And let them
TOO. above ALL be wholly independent
of politics and free TO handle the sit T.
uation as they think best"