The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-04-13

soldiers and yet never won but one
engagement of any Importance. If
Great Britain had not been so busy
with the mass of its army looking af-
ter Gen. Bonaparte that it dared send
no more over here, the outcome would
have been different. Immediately af-
ter that war congress again mustered
out the trained soldiery.
Not until our war with Mexico was
there any increase in the army In
1855 we had 10000 men in service. Then
the secretary Of war was inspired to
increase it so that in 1861 we had
15,000.'
Then cry arose again from the pa
cifsts, but Gen. Winfield Scott stood
for preparation and influenced the state
of New York to recruit its militia to the
limit and drill it. Gen. King said that
pacifists invaded the drill halls to in
weigh against the preparation for bat
tie, murder and sudden death, assuring
the young cadets that there would be
no war, that the day for warfare had
passed; that the good sense and judg-
ment of the American people would
avert it.
Three months later the flag had been
fired upon at Fort Sumpter and those
regiments were in the field. If we had
had 10000 trained men that war would
have been averted with it's consequent
loss Of 100000 northern lives and over
a million of southern lives.
Gen. King told the pitiful story of the
Indian warfare succeeding the Civil war
when United States regulars armed with
old-fashioned Springfield rifles, the only
kind the government would furnish,
were sent to engagements with Indians
armed with up to date Winchesters, and
that he said accounted for the great
loss of life, as in his regiment where his
men fell because they were not given
equipment to protect themselves in the
situations they were sent into.
He told of the Spanish soldiery armed
with their Mauser rifles which The
American troops had to face, still with
their old-fashioned Springfields. He
said it was only that Spain was not one
of the first class powers that saved us
in that war. Our regulars had Jorgen
sens but the volunteers were still using
the other type and Gen. King command
ed volunteer regiment.
He said it. was our unpreparedness in
that war that inspired Bismarck s re-
mark that "God is taking care Of the
United States and the other fools. -
But Gen. King ism t sure that protection
will go on Indefinitely unless we make
some effort to take care of ourselves
and quoted the old proverb, GOOD helps
them who help themselves
He said at present while we have an
army of 100000 men on paper that act
ually we have less than 10000 that IAN
be modified for action which he says
is a pitifully small protection for
90,000,000 people. Moreover, he warns
us that the European military experts
know our weaknesses better than our
own people.
Gen. King raised a laugh by referring
to Bryan as "Our late-I cannot say
great-.secretary of state.' He said
Bryan announced that 100000 citizen
soldiery would spring up ready for ac-
tion in case of attack. Gen. King asked
the pertinent question, "Of what use
would these be unframed and I'M
armed?" and left his hearers to picture
the slaughter to which our manhood
would be driven if required to face
trained regulars in our present deplor-
ably helpless condition.
Gen. King recalled the sang froid with
which Bryan sent the greatest military
power on earth a message telling it it
would be held to strict accountability,
mourning its enmity; he told how we
have angered Japan, the most powerful
and sensitive of the oriental nations
by discriminating against its sons on
the Pacific coast, and both those ma
tons are sparring, automatically,
awaiting their time to make reply.
"When the time comes and they say
Mol what shall we say?' asked the
speaker. "Shall we back up our rlti-
matums2 If so, what withg Or shall
we back down. If so, what will the
rest of the world think of us9 Our lit
tie army of $4,000 men is in Mexico
now and what is to be the outcome of
that expedition none can tell.
Gen. King urged immediate training
of militia and the provision of arms for
it, He said every one of the 'rst
power nations have great fleets and
armies at their beck and call. In the
first fifteen days Germany could lave
on the coast of Long Island or New
Jersey $500 men, conveyed here under
the protection of its fleet. The trans
ports could return and in another thirty
days 10000 more, thoroughly equip
ped could be landed England could do
almost as much. Japan could have
$500 in sixty days on the Pacific
coast.
The speaker then showed our defense
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