Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-02-22
HOW SHALL WE PREPARE?
By Frederic J. Haskin

/ TINE American people seem to be
| pretty generally agreed that the
United States as a nation is fac
| ing a crisis and ought TO prepare to
meet it. There have also sprung up
a large number of different ideas as
/ to how We ought TO prepare. Unless
We can agree upon method, the re-
suit will be either a compromise or
nothing at all. So it is for you to
carefully consider these different ways
of getting ready and decide which
one you are going to support.
In the first place, there are the
pacificists. These ladies and gentle
men believe that we should prepare
/ to assume our place as an interna-
tional force by abolishing the army
and navy and meeting belligerents
with argument and persuasion. This
method is simple, inexpensive and ac-
tuated by the highest ideals. But it
! is purely experimental, and for this
reason does not appeal to the major
ity of practical-minded Americans as
proper eXpedient in a crisis.
How to DO 1t
! Those who agree that we can best
insure peace by preparing to fight are
very much divided as to how we
should go about it. All of them state
that we should increase our navy,
and there is only one way to do this;
namely, by building more ships and
manning them. When it comes to
land forces, however, it is more diff
cult to agree upon a method.
To strengthen the regular army
would seem the most direct and the
easiest way to increase our land
forces. All advocates of preparedness
are agreed that we should increase
the regular army, but to recruit all
of our necessary strength in this way
to, .tf If
mendous expense. Half a million men
are needed for the proper defense
of continental United States in case
of war. To support a regular army
of this size would be an uniustitiable
burden. The regular army, there
fore, will be made only large enough
to police our overseas possessions and
give us a mobile force in continental
America of perhaps fifty thousand
men-enough to take care of inter-
nal and border troubles.
This leaves about four hundred
thousand troops to be raised from
among the citizens of the United
States. and it is here that the great
differences of opinion become mani
fest. There are three principal meth
ods by which these troops might be
raised; namely, by introducing COM
pulsory military service, by strength
ening the State militia, .or by using
the present volunteer army system,
with notifications, to raise a force
of the required size in time of peace
Each of these methods has strong
backing. The latter is the so-called
continental army plan, which is be-
ing advocated by the administration.
All military experts assert that COM
pulsory military service is the only
effective way to be prepared for war,
and that the United States will never
be safe against attack until this plan
is adopted. The abstract argument
in facor of compulsory service is prac-
tically perfect if you grant that the
nation should be defended at all. For
it must then, be the duty of the citi-
zen to defend it, and a duty is essen
TALLY compulsory. To wait until there
is war and then rely upon volunteers
for. defense is in reality about as
practicable as waiting until the coun-
! try faces bankruptcy and then call
ing upon volunteers to pay taxes.
! Compulsory service in this country
would probably mean that every able
| bodied American male would serve