Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1915-current, 1916-01-22
a critical condition.

ctlt1cdl cOuuIuOu.
We are told that the coast fortifica-
lions In the United States, firing at
the limit Of their capacity. would ex.
pend every bit Of ammunition they
possess within forty.five minutes; that
at Panama. one hour and forty-five
minutes would exhaust the last round
Of ammunition, II the guns were fired
at their maximum rate, and that there
exist no defenses against a land at
tack upon the C.nal works by hos
tile force disembarking on the Pacific
side at point about sixty miles south
of Panama and advancing along the
plateau.
I'VE undertook eighteen years ago
great responsibility in the Philippine
Islands which we must say, nay can
not, run away from, however, many
OF our people would like to. We oc-
cupy strategical point in the Pacific
Oceans in the possession of the
Hawaiian group of Islands. Its main
tenance is essential to our national
welfare. Its loss would mean such
destruction of national prestige is
scarcely conceivable.
I'VE occupy strategical point in
the worlds commercial routes in the
possession of the Panama Canal.
Neither Panama nod Hawaii is prop
erly and safely garrisoned against pos.
sible or even probable attack. The
General Staff of the United States
Army tolls us, with the authority of
the Secretary of War, that a force of
about $4,000 men is essential to the
protection of the Notifications of the
Island of Cahu,-we have some 5000
men there; that $4,000 men are essen
tial to the protection of the Panama
Canal-and we have about 5000 men
there.
with a population of 100,000.000
souls in continental United States we
today have a regular army which num-
bers only about 10000 officers and
men actually under arms, and of this,
not more than one-half are OH the
American continent. The police forces
of thirteen cities of the United States,
with total population slightly under
15,000,000 aggregate upwards of 81, 900
If not larger than the actual personnel
Of the regular army employed at pres,
ent on the American continent.
THE condition of our coast defenses
has been sharply put before us by the
report of the Chief of that service
and we are told that artillery, costing
upwards of s41.000,O0O, is without a
man to protect it; that the old system
of relying upon the states for voIun
tary military support, under the act OF
Congress, which provides that one-haii
of the coast artillery shall be furnish
ed by the States, has failed, as it al
ways has failed throughout our his
tory, to provide us with anything like
the stipulated quota Of men.
THAT law should be repealed, ant
] that other enactment of Congressional
folly, approved May eth, 1908, which
provides that the organized militi;
shall be called into the service of tbs
United States in advance of any vol
unteer force which it may be neces
sary to raise, should also be repealed
without delay. Our military experts
not the alarmists, but the careful stu
dents of the War College Division o.
the General Staff--in a report pub
lished under the sanction of the Secre
tar yof War, show that under modern
conditions a hostile military force o
nearly 100000 men could be landed
on the Atlantic coast within fifteeI
days from the dates of embarkation
and upwards of 100000 more mel
within thirty days thereafter, and the!
say:
J without superiority. on the SCI
and an adequate land force there Il
!, nothing to prevent any hostile powe
or coalition of powers from landing
on our shores such part Of It's traine'