New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-15
We Spring to War
Must We Always Learn Our L..
Too Latep
IRON IN, Hartford 7fm>,,

LOU
IRON IN, Hartford 7fp>,
The European war began in Angus. o,,r,
II produced almost Immediately a f..,;,.
apprehension in the United States. w..
anticipating our own entanglemen. IN r.
conflict. we declared vehemently for sr.,.~
ton. Since that memorable August Of IA.
we have held some impressive pr.n.,....'
parades. We have conducted Pi.u.nr.'
camps. We have Federalized tn. Nat.,.'
Guard. We have listened 70 much fery,d 49,
tory.
And we have manufactured JUS. wm.
rifles OF the pattern used by the United s.,,..
army, navy and National Guard.
To call this failure TO prepare n.
vitality necessary Of military cquipm.n, :.
founding is not 70 use too strong A term :.
is almost unbelievable. Probably in M o,,..
country could it be possible. Repres.n.aar.
Tilson brought it to light in his speech !.
the House on Monday afternoon. "Eyers.1.
knows it except ourselves" he said. So.
enemies know it, Colonel Tilson's sy,,.'
are unquestioned.
Where the blame should be placed 70, N.
derelicton is uncertain. Probably Il da.,
not lie with the War Department. VIII.
could manufacture only to the limit Of i,
provided facilities and provided funds. PEI
haps it does not lie with Congress. ssr
brously arguing for and against the opp;o,,
of its individual members, beset BIZ pscis,,,
politicians, pork eaters and propagand,,
and with its ear sealed to the ground vh,r,,
rumbled mingled demands for immediate .,.
preparations and immediate economies. N,
Tilson asserts that we cannot hope TO mann.
facture over 100000 rifles per year. He e,.
plains that this limitation is due 70 the IN.
possibility Of procuring gauges. Two year,
ago he urged Standardization OF gauge,
with an appropriation for the work. Nov
they are unobtainable at any price. Thoug,
all the available tool makers of the eoup.ry
were put at the work. they could not, BIZ "
Tilson's assertion, provide the gauges ia tine
for use in this war. I'VE have,' be au
"waited too long
100000 Rifles Year
Sixty-six thousand rifles represents scarce.
~ the wastage in single days sighting along
the battle front. Five hundred thousand
rifles per year would scarcely maintain three
American fighting divisions on the Flanders
line. We are equally deficient in machine
guns, artillery and ammunition. We have
been making ordnance for England, Frame.
and Russia and dividends for ourselves, bu,
we have not made weapons TO defend our
country II is not difficult TO understand
how the German mind can conceive the United
States as the land Of decadent folk, knowing
only dollars and contemplate in physical
struggle, man TO man.
We cannot be armed forthwith with tn.
weapons Of the other countries, not only be.
cause they have few 10 spare, but also Be.
cause the utilization Of the ammunition st
for one arm is impossible in another The
Allies already fighting have frequently sui.
fered from this. We\ must mark time and
argue and wait and suffuse everything ia {,
sea of popular discussion and recriminsot
the meanwhile trusting that Thomas A. Ed
son will find some way of making submarines
destroy themselves, remaining conhdea. thsi
in some way We shall muddle through and not
forgetting-let us hope-to thank Cos Tor
the British navy.
At the best, our army must be lacking IN
homogeneity. since for time there must D,
diversity in its arms. We have several hun
dreds of thousands Of SpringfeIds on hand;
not enough for our needs, of course, but sun.
cient for our first leves, to whom they mus;
be issued. We shall pay for our shortslghi'
edness. We shall pay heavily in money We
may pay heavily in life.
Always have wars found US, pesee-lovins
people that we are, unequipped materially
unprepared psychologically, almost unthink-
ing. Now that We have learned how, with The
most earnest desire for peace, we may be yet
denied the privilege of preserving ourselves
in that blessed state, shall we learn any.
thing? We shall learn in the present case
of course, and, as usual, we shall learn sone-
what too late. Must it be ever SO!