The Huttig news., 1917-11-24
WAR TALKS By UNCLE DAN
 
 Number Four
Military Training Necessary for Safety
 and Defense.
Number Four

! mic and have been looking up about war in the encyclopedia at school We found that in the war between Ger many and France in 1S7O-7l, Germany lost in killed and wounded 28.OOO sol diers while France lost about six times as many. and besides that, she lost every battle. We asked Professor Slo- cum why this was. He said that the German army was highly trained and ably commanded, while the French soldiers were poorly trained; and that their war department was honey eombed with jealousy and politics: that the officers were not much good, and that's why France lost the war and so many men. What do you think about 1t, Uncle DanW
 Well" said Uncle Dan, Professor Slocum Is right. By inefficiency France lost that war, together with two of her best provinces-Alsace and LOT raine-and had to pay billion dol lars indemnity money. France today learned her lesson by that sad expe- rience. so she put in universal military training, and as result, her soldiers now know how to fight and how to protect themselves. They are losing less men in the war than the Germans. France also put politics out of her war department, so that expert authority instead of bureaucratic stupidity, now directs the army. The result Is. France has one of the best and most efficient armies every assembled, and this shows what thorough training and good leadership means in warfare. This saved France in this crisis, as we'll as the liberties of the world"
 ''As war is now conducted, there is no place for an untrained man. X body of 10000 we'll trained soldiers properly handled could defeat five times their number of raw recruits and do 1t every time with comparatively small loss to themselves. Proper train ing alone will reduce the death and casualty rate one-third of what it oth- erwise would be, and right here is an unanswerabIe argument for universal military training.
 Our government has no moral right to force her men into war service without properly training them for 1t. To do so is simply murder, hence the frantic effort that Is now being made to give her soldiers some training be- fore they are sent to the front. If we are to win this war, it will take trained men to do 1t, and 1t will take trained men to win any other war that may come upon us in the future. If we must fight, let us fight to win and not to lose"
 That's the stuff," said Billie. Continuing. Uncle Dan said: "Our government has expended about $300,- 100000 to put up cantonments and training stations in order to train the men called by the selectiva draft. When these men are trained the train- ing stations should be immediately filled with younger men. say those in their nineteenth year, to receive six months of intensive military train | ing along the lines of the Chamberlain bill. This will be of immeasurable benefit to them individually. IL wila do them more good than any other two years of their whole life; 1t will make | them strong, manly, seif-reliant, quick to see and quick to act it will equip them for a successful life. in sh0rt- | it will rebuild American manhood and will also give the government q body | of ttnined men to draw from in cas@ l It is necessary to defend our fng and country. We must settle this question of universal military training imm diately, otherwise these training CD .nps may be demolished. The adopt .on of universal military training vii, be mo- tiee to the world that frorl then on we will be prepared to defend our selves promptly and eNciently. and this will do more to keep us out of war in the future ..nan anything else we could do."
 'Do you think, brother" said Mrs Graham. "thAt there will ever be an- l other warf'
 II lave no doubt about It." said Cnafe Dan. ESQ long as men are | selfish, so long as nations are ambi- 1 tious to acquire territory, so long as l population presses and demands more l ydom, so long as there remains & 1 scramble for world trade-so long wars will be. When the time comes that We reach the high plane for which WE 1 hope and dream, when all will recog- ! nize the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. then, and then only, will wars cease. When that day comes doors will need no locks hanks. will need no vaults to protect thr <, treasures, but that day is a long Hss. of
 "The only safe and sane n' an Is to be able to defend oursel, 1cs at aIe times. Therefore. every 2 .fizen shouId insist that senators anf1 congressneu shall provide for IT .fyersal military training, so that ne' .cr again shall the country be eaugi .e so completely un- ready as this war found us. For tunately, in this case. our enemy has been hele- back, so we have had il few fnohtf < In which to prepare. This ad- van .age probably will never come