Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-01-17


Its mobile army Is only about twice thf
trained reserves. our wealth Is the envy
OF the world. Preparedness Is national
assurance.
IMAGINE Chestnut street hlled for six
Il squares with a marching company OF
women extending from curb to curb.
Imagine the sidewalks filled with men
watching the procession, while they had
placed in front of them long rows of little
| children in such way that they could see
! their mothers.
! Imagine a team of four maddened horses.
attached to heavy dray. running away
and headed for the marching women.
Imagine the men ordering dozen boys
and girls or s years old. to rush out and
stop the runaway animals
When you have done this you have made
picture of the situation in which this coun-
try would find itself II it should be attacked
by any of the first or second rate Powers.
our army would have no better chance
for its life than would the children who
should attempt to stop team of maddened
horses, and our cities and towns would be
crushed as the women would fall beneath
the feet of the animals and the wheels of
the dray.
pens when they go to war unprcpared. Their
young men who were sent to the front
without adequate preparation were shot
down like so many frightened animals.
The Government had been warned Of the
impending danger by men who knew and
it had been urged to prepare Tor what must
certainly happen, hut it ignored the warning.
No Power is threatening the United states
at this time. But there is nothing in our
own history or In the history of civilization
which iustiaes us in assuming that we will
never he attacked.
when the attack comes it should find
us ready to meet it with sporting chance
of success. Unless there s a change In our
policy we shall be compelled to sacrifice the
lives of our young mon as wantonly as
though wc had ordered little children into
the street to stop Il team of runaway
horses.
We have today mobile army of about
$4,000 men, or about twice the number of the
police force of New York. We have about
10000 organized militia of which not much
more than unc-half could be depended on to
respond IL a call to arms were made. 1t
has been said that 100000 mon would
spring to arms within twcnty-four hours in
case of threatened foreign invasion. But
from Lexington to San Juan Hin there is not
a precedent in all our history to Justify any
such conclusion. II was necessary to resort
to the forced draft in the Civil War to secure
men to fight for the preservation of the
Union.
The call for volunteers in the petty Span
ish War was not filled because there
not men enough in the country willing to
take up arms when they were needed. The
y olunteer system is a broken reed.
respond to call, they could not be turned
into soldiers in less than six months.
Some way must be found for building up
a reserve force of men who understand the
rudiments OF the arts of the soldier.
our lack of munitions is as serious as our
lack of men. ON December %, 1914, we had
only 634 modern field guns and howitzers.
None of these is larger than six inches and
there are only 40 of that size. The minimum
of the number of guns needed for
the field artillery is 1892 and the maximum
estimate is 2S34. If S2,lOO,OOO "a year were
appropriated for artillery it would take eight
years to equip the army with the minimum
amount,
The ammunition supply for the guns that
we have is equally inadequate. Two days
firing would exhaust all there is
our supply of rifles is in better shape, but
we need 100000 more TO be ready for an
We are in no shape, however 10
them, and il the demand for
rifles should at all approach that which has
the European Powers we would
he IN the condition of the British, who have.
it is said 100000 men unable to go to the
front for lack of arms
our arsenals can make 1900 rifles a day
and our private arms factories, urged on by
the offer OF two prices for each gun. have
succeeded thus far after more than year
OF driving work; in turning out only 5000
rifles day. This makes the present daily
capacity OF trc United States 44OO rifles.
France is making many times as many.
The rifles made here each day would oc-
cupy space eight feet square and about as
high as the saddle on the horse General
Reynolds is riding on the city Hall plaza,
The product of the French plants would
make a pile eight feet square and 632 feet
high, or about S4 feet higher than the highest
wrinkle in the hat of William Penn on the
top of the city Hall tower
An army of $4,000 men, or the mobile
regular troops and the total enlisted militia,
would fire away in four days all the rife
we have in reserve. and it would
take six months or more 10 manufacture
enough for them TO fire for another four
days
We are equally lacking in airships. in ma
chine guns, in transport facilities in hospital
supplies and in everything else that is needed
TO equip modern army.
If this is not unpreparedness, what is?