The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1917-12-27
WAR TALKS
BY UNCLE DAN

Military Training Necessary for Safety
and Defense.
, "Say, Uncle Dan," said Billie, ~J7z-
ME and l have been looking up about
war in the encyclopedia at school. We
found that In the war between Ger
many and France in 1901. Germany
lost in killed and wounded $1,000 sas.
diers while France lost about six dnes
a. many, and besides that, she loae
every battle. We asked Professor 61e-
cum why this was. He said that ths
German army was highly trained an
ably commanded, while the French
soldiers were poorly trained; and tAat
their war department was honey
combed 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 it, Uncle DAMP
SWELL" said Uncle Dan,- Professor
Slocum is right. BY inefticiency France
lost that war, together with two Of
her best provinces-Alsace and Lor~
raine-and had to pay a billion dol
lars indemnity money. France today
learned her lesson by that sad expe-
rence, so she put in universal military
training, and as a 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 wax
department, so that expert authority
instead Of bureaucratic stupidity, now,
directs the army. The result i4s
France has one of the best and most
efficient armies every assembled, and
this shows what thorough training aud
good leadership means In warfare.
This saved France in this crisis, as
well as the liberties of the world"
GAS war is now conducted, there 10
no place for an unframed man. 4
body of 10000 well trained soldiers
properly handled could defeat five
times their number of raw recruits and
do it every time with comparatively
small loss to themselves. Proper train"
Ing alone will reduce the death and
casualty rate one-third of what it 9TH
er~yise would be, and right here is an
unanswerable argument for universas
military training.
sour government has no moral right
to force her men into war service
without properly training them for It.
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. II we
are to win this war, it will take trained
men to do it, and it 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"
'vrhat's the stuff" said Billie.
Continuing, Uncle Dan said: "Ouk
government has expended about $780,
100000 to put up environments and
training stations in order to train the
men called by the selective 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 aix
months Of intensive military tram
ing along the lines of the Chamberlain
bill. This will be of unreasonable
benefit to them individually. 1t will
do them more good than any other tive
years of their whole life: it will make
them strong, manly, self-reliant, quick
to see and quick to act it will equip
them for a successful life. In short,
it will rebuild American manhood ana
will also give the government a body
of trained men to draw from in ea8s
it is necessary to defend our flag and
country. We must settle this question
of universal military training imn,or
diately, otherwise these training camps
may be demolished. The adoption Of
universal military training will be -
tice to the world that from then a
we will be prepared to defend our
selves promptly and efficiently, an&
this will do more to keep us ont Of
war in the future than anything elsE
we could do"
do you think, brother" said llr2
Graham, "that there will ever be an
other WARP" .-.-;. :.
II have no doubt about It." ssh
UnclN Dan. $50 long as men art
selfish, so long as nations are amh1~
tious to acquire territory, 50 long -
population presses and demands mere
room, so long as there remains q
scramble for world trade-so long waEs
will be. When the time comes that
we reach the high plane for which We
hope and dream, when all will recog-
nize the fatherhood of God and thu
brotherhood of man, then, and then
only, will wars cease. When that dag
comes doors will need no locks, banks
will need no vaults to protect their
treasures, but that day is long way
off.
"Thc only safe and sane plau is tc
be able to defend ourselves at all
times. Therefore, every citizen shouN
insist that senators and congressman
shall provide for universal military
training, so that never again shall tho