The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-04-13
WE LACK ALL PROTECTION
Sending Our Men to Fight First Glass
Powers Now Would Be Sending Them
to Slaughter - We Need Train
ing and Equipment.

Sanely, logically, convincingly, with
no attempt at oratory, but so impress
sively that it is doubtful if one who
heard him failed to be converted to his
belief in our need of military prepare
tions for this country, Gen. Charles
King of Milwaukee, Tuesday night
told the pitiable tale of our unprepar-
edness before ST. Matthew's Men IS
club
He compared our condition with that
of the little Swiss republic where every
man by the sacrifice of few weeks
time yearly is a trained soldier. The
Swiss republic with population of
100000 one-fourth the area of the
state Of Wisconsin, can put 1000
trained men into action in thirty-six
hours, and it was through this prepar-
edness, Gen. King told his hearers, that
Switzerland avoided the tragic fate
of Belgium.
Had this country had a line of
10000 men ready when the south
threatened secession the rebellion would
have been quelled inside of thirty
days" was Gen. Kings statement and
his thirty-fve years of study of military
conditions, his devotion to his flag, his
Workmanship as a soldier of the Civil
war, the Spanish-American war, and
Indian warfare succeeding the Civil
war, gave his statement weight
''But that for once the United States
was prepared, with 100000 splendid
veterans of the Civil war still left in
its service, another war would have
ensued after the Civil war, when Louis
Napoleon of France set up the French
flag in Mexico and put French king
on its throne" he said. GAS the
United States made its demand that
the flag and King be withdrawn from
2dexico and had its army ready to
back its demands they were acceded
to without delay"
Gen. King lays much Of our unpre-
paredness to the sheafs of letters with
hich the misguided, short seeing
, Pacifsts are flooding congress. Much
he laid upon the inaccuracies Of his
tory as it is taught in our public
schools, and much to the uniformed
Fourth of July orator.
He said his generation of school
boys were taught that the United
States could lick any other nation in
the world with one hand tied behind
it. To controvert this opinion he show
ed that it took eight long years and
$4,000 lives for the colonies to drive
Great Britain out of this country,
while the English regulars never had
here number exceeding 41,300 men,
fighting in foreign territory, always
a disadvantage.
Gen. King asked his hearers to re-
member that George Washington plead
ed with the continental congress for a
standing army, but they did not heed
him, howled down by the Pacifsts of
that day. He said it was only thanks
to the previous attacks of the Indians
that the United States had a handful
OF regulars in 1910. At that time the
United States had started to build up
a splendid merchant marine by offer.
ing ten per cent bonus for every
cargo brought in on American ships.
Great Britain feared the intrusion of
the Americans into the commercial and
maritime world and began the impress
ment of our seamen and indignities
against our craft. Some begged the
country to prepare, but Senators Daw-
sen and Randolph, pscifsts, assured
their confreres that without prepare
ton we could stand three years
against invasion.
Three months later a, brigade of but
5000 trained British fighters landed on
Maryland shores and drove the unter.
rifed and also unframed American
citizen soldiery through the streets
marched to Washington and burned
our house of representatives, and moth.
ing of this appears in the school his
tories. Moreover, the peace of 1914
was a humiliation and in reality a de.
feat of this country, although our his.
tories heralded it as victory, for the
United States was obliged to accede
to British demands that we cease the
bonuses which were building up oul
merchant marine and it gave no prom
Uses as to furture conduct regarding oul
sailors or merchantmen.
Our histories" said Gen. King
make no mention Of the disgraeeful