Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-23

anything he wanted IN New fork I'M
less we paid to keep it.
After the enemy was established in
the city hall, the New York police
would still patrol their beats; the local
firemen would put out fires as usual;
culprits would be tried for msde-
meanors in the local police courts. But
no New Yorker would be allowed to
bear arms. If he wanted to go outside
the city he must have a pass. An
alien soldier could enter house at
any time and take the husband or son
away for trial before a military court
on the charge of aiding the enemy.
who would be his fellow citizens OF
the shirt sleeves army wiggling help
lessly about the region OF the Ale
ghenies trying to form an army.
The newspapers might publish only
what the enemy told them they might.
They would be reduced to single
sheets: and If they refused to behave.
they would be suppressed and the mill
tary governor would publish his own,
which would be strictly official On the
dead walls he would paste his bulletins
of directions to the public for its con-
duct under military law; also little
placards telling of the execution of
spies as a warning to any others who
might try to send information to the
American troops. How would New
York like that?
Loss of Liberty Not Appreciated.
Such were the conditions in Brussels.
where l spent Christmas of 1914 under
the Germans. Granted that the Ger
mans applied only the strict letter of
the law, and you have still a situation
which can be realized only by actual
experience. No man knows what the
loss of his liberty means until he loses
it. We have had ours too long to ap-
preciate it's value. People who lived in
New Jersey while Washington was at
Valley Forge 14O years ago, If they
could come to life. would give US some
valuable hints. Your feeling as you
see an alien soldier with bayonet fixed
door is one of indescribable humilia-
ton and helpless rage. 1t is useless to
sauirm; spiked giants hand holds
YOU fast.
New York would be told to keep on
working for the enemy. making money
for him-why should the enemy march
to Chicago?
And what could Chicago do: The
has no means of defense. When the
coast cities fall. Chicago falls. To pro-
long the struggle would only mean
more destruction and more cost. We
and where. oh. where, would be the
Monroe doctrine: Ask the enemy's
staf quartered in the Pan-American
building in Washington.
More wolf cry. you say. This is
as bad as the motion pictures and the
fiction aIarmists." Perhaps. I have
nothing to do with that. I am only
trying to deal with military evidence.
l do not know that America will ever
go to war. After what ] have seen in
this and other wars think that war is
the most silly and wasteful business as
well as the most useless kind of MUIR
der. in which human nature INDUCES.
But this feeling on the part of many
" ton
of the great European armies. There
are somewhere between eighty and
one hundred thousand guns and twenty
million men on the continent of Europe
engaged in slaughter. and they repre-
sent the kind of power which can be
resisted only with its own kind.
Germany. with free hand. for ex-
ample. could take New York in three
months, II not in two, once the sea wa
clear. IF our navy fought, it would be
beaten unless our light cruisers can
night battle cruisers and our efficiency
is is two to one against the German
ion is not held by any military observ-
ers or by our own officers.
Possibilities in Transport Service.
But how would the Germans ever
| reach us across the great Atlantic
ocean People still ask that question.
Ships will still float, though some citi-
| zens of the interior of the country
seem TO forget that. Ships were never
| SO large: they have never been able to
travel so fast as today. How did the
British reach us in 1872? They trans
| ported enough troops, while they were
! engaged in fighting Napoleon, to take
| our capital. They had to use sailing
vessels of 500 to 1850 tons burden.
which made the voyage in two or three
! weeks For the size of our population
we had a larger available army, bet
| ter. equipped to fight under the condi-
/ tons OF that day than we have today.
| Though ships are larger and faster
than in 1912. the Atlantic is not a bit
| broader. While steam has come and
| the sea lanes of the world have been
shortened. the diameter Of the globe
/, remains the same.
| In the Russo-Japanese war, at the
same time that she was already feed
ing 100000 men in Manchuria and Ko-
of transports 1000 men, with their full
complement of guns and cavalry and
transport complete army. Japan's
merchant marine is small beside that
had not come into the war we should
have seen what Germany could do in
the way of sea transport. Indeed, had
England stayed out, we should already
and we should be in a fever of mill
itary preparation which would not allow
us to send a single she'll abroad.
| The German STAFF had more than one
plan Of campaign against France and
Russia. Having 6ad oar attention GEN.
tered only on the work Of her army
we cannot realize what she could have
done by sea. With the sea comma nd ed
by her fleet and the Austrian, she would
have blockaded the coast of France. and
France would have been cut off from
communication with the world by the
IGerman navy. just as Germany now Ii
by the British navy. We should have
walked up some morning to ind that
Germany had landed 100000 men on the
French coast, and that more were COM
ing. When she was sure that she had
done for France and her legions had
advanced overland to finish Russia, she
would have landed another force in the
Gulf Of Riga. striking the Russian army
from the rear, while very likely ar
} Austrian force would have landed Tn