Evening journal., 1915-02-04

/ but upon a citizenry trained and ac-
custOmed to arms" In other words.
the President is not only determined
TO perpetuate the vicious military
policy which we have followed since
IT'S. but If he means what his words
say he proposes to place little or no
dependence upon the regular army or
q reserve.
If that be so why not abolish the
standing army altogether and along
with it abolish our police forces and
I fire departments and every other in
stitution of training in the country
and let US entrust our destines to
the militia, which receives, general
ly speaking, an actual training con-
fined TO about one week in camp ano
about seventy hours drill and in
struction during each calendar year?
How long does any reasonable man
suppose that such troops without
additional training would stand
against the regulars Of England,
France and Germany? How much
faith would the officials of any cor
poration place in an agent or em-
pl0yee whose training is limited TO
one week and seventy hours of work
per annum2 That is what the United
States has done from its very begin
ming and what President Wilson
proposes TO do.
Here is the man no processes to
be historian. but who either has
failed TO comprehend or is absolutely
blind to the lessons which the very
things he now advocates have taught
time after time were nothing but
egregiOus laundering. Does Mr.
Wilson not know that because the
United States trusted to its "citi-
zenry" it has been compelled in its
past wars to use at least two and a
half men to every adversary pitted
against them? Does Mr.. Wilson not
know that the United States has
never in its history been prepared
for war and never will be until il
possesses a sufficient number of
trained soldiers? Have his studies
in history never taught him how dan
gerous and expensive it is to employ
unframed material in time of war?
Does he not know that in the Revolu-
tion we used 231 ,771 regulars and
164,0S7 militia ana volunteers against
England's 150,605. at "a cost of $780,
Does he not know that in the War
of 1912 we had 5000 regulars and
AL, $50 militia against the English
and Canadian forces of only about
$4,000 men? That war cost us SS2,-
627 900 and S45,95O.546 in pensions.
Does he not know that in the MeXi-
can war 31,024 regulars and 1852
militia were required to oppose about
$4,000 MeXicans, at cost of SSS.-
500. .20S, and that the pensions have
. amounted to S4S.693. .101?
Does he not know that in the civil
war the United States employed no
less than $1,000 regulars and $685.
341 militia and volunteers against
about 100000 Confederates? The
war cost the fabulous sum Of $5.371.-
079,74S and $4,457 ,974 ,495 has already
been paid in pensions, and we are a
long way from the end yet
Does he not know that the Spanish
, American war compelled us to use
I 5S, ,6SS regulars and 223,235 militia
! or volunteers against 200. 900 Spani
ards. at a cost of 1921 1913 ,254, while
76,416 regulars and 5O.O52 volun-
teers were employed in the Philip.
, pines, at a cost of S171 ,32G,572 anC
that 46,092,739 has already beer
paid in pensions for them both?
How many Americans have any
! conception of the outrageous extra
vagance in men and money that has
, characterized our past wars. How
] long would any properly run com
pany or corporation tolerate any
s such mismanagement
7 The survivors of the civil wal
I know full well what unreadinesi
n means, and they must realize tina
e had the United States possessed so,
/ 600 trained regulars at the Outse
{ the war would have come 10 a sud
Y den end.
- Such arguments as the Presiden
brings forth in his message are to-
e puerile for words. One may as wei
Z assert that a business man can b.
a made in a day or a month as tha
Il one can make a good soldier in tha
L time Why are trained men exclu
= sively used in police forces and fir
v departments? For the very excel
= lent reason that the world has foun
n that unframed men cannot adequate
! " protect human life and huma
= property, and sound sense require
q lllAl lnt same Afd0OAAAh- oAouAh ~
- applied to an army as to police for
n ces and fire departments.
A II would be difficult to bring fort
o better argument in favor of a
a adequate army of professional sol
diers than the present war affords
. We all know what has happened
n Belgium because she was not stron
Q enough to defend herself If Franc
n had trusted to any such broken rec
!" as the President advocates, wher
p would she be today? Is anybod
/" silly enough to think that a "cit
j. zenry" such as Mr.. Wilson describe
a could have prevented the Germa
= army from crushing France long b'
n fore this? The French knew bette
than Mr.. Wilson evidently does, an
IS surely events have proved the vii
q dom of their course.
A. What does the President mean I
y the statement that We must depen