Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1917-03-20
Our Standing in War.

| Uur SCanulnS IN war.
Sioux City Journal In an article
on Americas War Efficiency" the
London Statist reviews interesting
ly, results which might ensue if the
| United States entered the war. AZ
ter calling attention to the fact that
this country is the producer of a
vast number and quantity of things
needed in war, it rates the United
States as great naval power, which
since the war, has been adding con-
lsidcrably to the number of her ships
and will be able, therefore, to put to
sea considerable force. IL the Am
erican naval forces are now added
to those of the entente and vigilant7
ly exercise watch upon all att
tempts from whatsoever quarter,
made to relieve the distress of the
central European powers, the cons
sequences will be very serious to
those powers. The Statist believes
that the entry of people Of rare in
|telligence, skill and ingenuity can
not fail to have a considerable in
tluence upon the course of events:
for one way, in bringing inventive I
resources and brains TO bear upon
Improvement in submarine and air
warfare. While the American army
at present amounts to little, the pop
ulation of the United States numbers
roughly 10G,000,000; and that pop
ulation contains Il larger proportion
of men compared with women, than Z
perhaps any other population in thes
world. The proportion of males oes
fighting age and fitness is greaterS
than any European population for 4
the simple reason that immigrants B
are usually drawn from the most at.
tive enterprising portion OF the res
pectiye populations. If the. real 4
feeling of3the United States is stir
red and the people are aroused to
show what they can do, they can
put under arms force which will
very speedily make it's strength felt
by Germany. Even if the president
were to call up only 100000 men
that would amount to barely half of
l per cent of the whole population.
including men, women and children.
1t would hardly be felt even if it
disappeared altogether. And yet a
new force of 100000 Y men would
have a great effect, granting the Of
fcers would be without experience
and not highly trained; granting
further that the rank and file were
nearly in the same condition, yet
100000 of new men landed in Eu-
rope would enable the entente pow
ers to hand over to those 100000
of men such services as the keeping
up of communications and therefore
would be practically tantamount to
setting free 100000 of the best
trained men of the entente armies
who are not actually in the fighting
line
when great emergency arises
the American people, though there
are so many foreigners among them,
close their ranks and stand shoulder
to shoulder. There can be no ques-
ton that though they would rath-
err have preferred to remain at peace,
they will eput forward every exertion
that may be necessary to bring the
enemy to his senses. Apparently
there is a feeling, not in Germany
alone but in many other European
that the hostility of the
United States is coming too late and
will have very little effect upon the
course of events. We think that to
be very grave mistake. It Ger
many is really laboring under it, it
is only one more proof of the utter
inability of her public men to UNDER
stand either the character or the
of other nations. The
United States is not prepared as Ger
many was in the middle of 1914.
That is palpably evident. But the
United States can exercise an infiu-
ence upon events which will quickly
make itself felt if she is forced to
put forward all her strength"