The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-04-16
NATIONWIDE CANVASS
ON ''NATIONAL DEFENSE"


Henry C. Emery. OF Providence, for
mer chairman OF tho tariff board:
Louis T. Goldihg, editor Of the News
Press OF st. Joseph. No.; Captain
Matthew Il. Hanna, U. 8. A. retired.
Also DR.. Ira s.. Hollis. president oil
the Worcester Polytechnic institute
and for nineteen years an officer in
the navy; Brigadier General Albert
]. Logan, OF the Pennsylvania national
guard; Franklin T. Miller. of Newton
Mass, president Of the r. W. Dodge
company; ]. Bernard Walker. OF Now
York. editor Of the Scientific Amer
lean; Henry A. Wise Wood. OF New
York, vice president Of the Aero Club
Of America, and formerly q member
Of the naval consulting board; and
James l.. Wright, adjutant general OF
the Louisiana national guard and pres
ident Of the Bankers Loan and Secur-
tiles Company OF New Orleans.
COncede Possibility of Attack.
Tho question of national defense was
brought to the consideration Of the
board OF directors of the Chamber OF
Commerce OF the United States
through resolutions presented by
widely separated organizations. They
were the. Spokane Chamber of COM
merce, the Knoxville Board OF Trade,
and the New York Merchants Asso-
citation. II revealed the fact that bus
mess men were actively thinking along
the lines of industrial as well as mil
itary preparedness. Measures were
undertaken to select a special COM
fnittee as early as last September. It
met for the first time in January. Its
report. which accompanies the, refer
eridtlm. says significantly: 1.-THE pos
sibflity Or. attack we know does exist
and no amount Of innocence and good
feeling can prevent Its occurring II
the strong the unjust and the greedy
decide to embark. upon it..
y Council, Of National ID fense. e.
The Committee declares that to head
in and coordinate the naval and mil.
itary resources OF the country with
the economic resources, and place
them all In perspective to accord with
the needs and policies Of the nation.
calls for Comprehensive considaration
which can only be supplied by some
body such as q council Of national de-
Tense. Only by such means can the
views and plans Of the military, naval.
congressional and. civilian elements Of
the national government be revealed
In. q comprehensive and at the same
time cohesive whole. without. such
an assembly of the responsible and
directing heads Of AFFAIRS for united
council, the committee believes, the
unique and transcendent potential
power Of the United States may fail
its citizens In crisis. Whatever form
the council may take the committee
is Of the opinion that 1t should In
clude civilian business administra-
tors; of eminent. standing to be appoint
ed by the president.
Z Last Hour Legislation Ineffective.
! Arguing for a staff of Industrial
mobilization. the committee says that
our own experiences In the Spanish
and Civil wars, and the subsequent
experiences OF other nations, nm to
and including the present war, have
shown disastrous results through lack
OF Immediately available Industrial
capacity. It Is recognized that the
success Of armies and nayies depend
upon organized industry. that such
organization Of industry may be pre-
arranged. and that 1t increases indus
trial efficiency In times OF peace. Al
though about forty per cent Of the
army budget Is now being spent for
materials and transportation, no leg
islation has been proposed insurine
and controlling their supply. No
amount Of "last hotr" Legislation can
AFFORD protection when trouble is i'm
minent and It can never take the place
OF prearranged organization and
training. II
Naval Program. 80 ~
Additional significant paragraphs
from the committee report are quoted !:
- The. first line OF national defense.
by our geography, is the navy. And
u attached, the cheapest, most. effec-
tive and safest defense by the navy
can only be obtained II It is strong
enough to seek out and destroy the
enemy at sea and certainly at a dis
lance from our shores sufficiently
great; to render invasion impractic-
able and thus eliminate the aiarm and
consequent commercial and financial
paralysis and loss which accompany
the immediate menace Of such d dam
ger" ~ D q
An Adequate Regular Army.
ITO support the regular army. and
the national guard. We have today only
the unframed. citizens and the. unor-
garized Industries OF the country. I'M
doubleday they constitute the real de-
fensive strength OF the nation, pro-
yided there be tim eto train the .citi-
zens and to divert our industries to
the. production Of war materials, The
experience OF Great Britain in the
present war in Europe plainly, how
ever teaches that at least six months
will elapse before the first .re-ehforce-
nents rof trained. volunteers can be
secured by this n method, and sit IL
doubtful whether they could be Sc
cured at all flour territory, our great
industrialrregio and OFF centers ;of
wealth commerce and nov,
ernment along and near our coasts
we're not kept practically free from
the inyader. Calm cnnsidaratinp nt