The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1916-02-25
EXPERT

[By VIM. J. Bryan, in the Commonerl
BY this time the average man has a
pretty clear understanding OF the army
expert. and wen settled opinion in re-
gard to him. II may, however. please the
average man to know that the ruling pas
sion in the military expert is understood
by statesmen as well as by the rank and
file Of the people, Lord Salisbury, for in
stance, one Of the most distinguished of
the latter-day statesmen of Great Bri-
tain, is quoted as having said to Lord
Cromer in Egypt, PAY no attention to
the military experts, for if they had their
way, they would fortify Mars to prevent
INVASION from the moon"
Lord Salisbury is right. There is moth
ing too ridiculous for them to advise.
They act upon the theory that the ma
ton must be prepared to resist ANY AT
TACK THAT CAN BE AIAGINED, no
matter how improbable it may be. And
there is no limit to the amount of pre-
paredness that would become necessary
if the experts controlled the various gov
ernments, because the experts are all
alike. Each group would insist that its
country MUST BE BETTER PREPARED
THAN ANY OTHER COUNTRY, and
that means that the rivalry in prepared
ness must at last absorb all available
money-a policy under which each nation
would bankrupt itself in order to keep
other nations from bankruptng it,
According to the theory of our experts,
we must, in the first place, have a navy
able to prevent any enemy from reaching
our shores. In the second place we must
have fortihcations sufficient to prevent
an enemy from landing if it sunk all Of
our ships. Then we must have an army
sufficient to repel any invasion in case
our navy and fortihcatioins failed to pre-
vent a landing. Then we must have a
reserve sufficient to repel the invasion in
case the regular army was not bic to with
stand it. And we must nave all our cit
liens trained in the use of arms so that
they could be called to the colors imme-
diately if the reserve was not sufficient
to support the regular army in its sup
port of the navy. Then the boys in
school must be trained to be able to take
the place of the adults if the war lasted
long enough to exhause the trained men
when called to support the reserves, when
summoned to support the regular army
when required to assist the navy, in re-
pelling an imaginary foe.
But even this could hardly be consid-
cred COMPLETE preparedness. The wo-
men must have something to do. They
are already being enlisted, and ,hey must
be taken from their ordinary duties and
trained in the making of bandges for the
men who may be wounded if the imagin-
airy foe vanquishes our navy, defeats our
regular army, cuts its way through our
reserve force, overwhelms our host Of
trained citizens and saughters our train
ed schooboys. The papers sent broadcast |
the country few days ago
the information that one woman had
agreed to build and equip two hospitals |
in case of invasion.
But the limit has not yet been reached |
in getting ready. One of our Iingos must |
ness men proposed that the manufactur-
ing plants so organized so as to be able |
motor trucks for use in case of an inVaS-
ion. And why not organize an automo-
bile corps made up of the owners of all
the automobiles in the country? Ought |
they not to be ready at a moments no
tice to carry the soldiers to the point |
needed to meet the attack of this mag
mary foe?
Another thoughtful expert has suggest
ed that preparedness to be adequate, must |
also provide an ample supply of artificial
limbs for at least two hundred and fifty
cripples-why should the nation
be so slothful and unpatriotic as to wait
until these imiganary soldiers have al
ready lost their limbs in this imaginary
war?
The country should be driven mad or to
nervous prostration. by the dreadful pre-
dictions of these professional soldiers but
for the fact that their conduct furnishes
a sort of soothing powder. They are to
be found in undiminished numbers at the
afternoon teas-this ought to be sufficient
proof that the enemy is not within sight.
AS long as these experts continue to
ldOrn social functions and enliven dinner
parties with their presence, the country
,an rest assured that the enemy is far
lway--so far away tht we are jus fled in
for the present any NJ
in the appropriations for the
lrmy and navy