Judsonia weekly advance., 1917-05-16

D6I tDc OtuSI IncA Oi iIC bi uh1iSs's The field artillery today is the salva- ton of the infantry.
 Home Guards Should Not Complain.
 There is no censorship law like that which governs the speech and the writ ings of army officers of the United States. Chiefs and assistant chiefs of departments have taken criticism and abuse silently, because under the reg ulations, they could not make reply. If the people of the country therefore think there is blame to place for such lack of preparedness as exists they should place it where it belongs-on themselves for not influencing the con- gross of the United States to make appropriations In the past for army supplies, and to stop pooh-poohing the need of preparation for war.
 Much has been made of so-called 'broomstick" episodes. The war de- partment has been criticized severely because it declined to supply with rifles a detachment of men drilling on Governors Island. Criticism also has come from other places because the war department will not turn over large quantities of rifles to home guard organizations and other associations of men who may or may not eventual | ly get Into the service.
 An American army of 500,0OO men 1 so far as its infantry is concerned could be supplied with rifles and am- intuition in plenty today. There IS much misunderstanding in the country 1 about the rifle and equipment situa- 1 ton.
 The United States is confronted with the problem of raising an army or | 100000 men, of giving its infantry ana cavalry rifles and equipment and it's artillery field pieces and equipment with ammunition for all branches. Must Keep Weapons for Army. | In view of the way in which con- gross has declined to make appropria- | tions In the past for the necessary war material, officials say 1t is not proper that army officers should be blamed for not having rifles to give to home guard organizations and to de-
  when the sharp necessity is to have enough weapons for the actual army which Is to be raised.
 | The law and the regulations stood in the way of supplying weapons to the broomstick drillers here and there and to the home guards elsewhere. | The war department, it is asserted, | fI1y. y.y1ichad fhnSn rjfilS | even if 1t had so desired. There was also a law higher than that of con- gress, to stand in the way. It was the law of military common sense. What would this country do if its supply of rifles were in the hands of the home guards and men of other or ganizations when the time came to supply the needs of the actual fight ing units of the field army? American civilians, it Is said, do not think well along military lines. A rifle in the hands of soldier who must be trained quickly for the fighting line Is worth two rifles at the command of civil ian who is learning how to take the position of a soldier and how to do few other things with the possible in- tention of offering himself later for the service. In the one case there IS sharp necessity and in the other case there is only the possibility of neces- sity.
 Crozier Has Done All He Could.
 Chieftains of the army bureaus have not been asleep through the years. Does anyone suppose that Brigadier | General William Crozier. chief of ord nance, has not done all that he could with the money at hand to supply American troops with view to the possibility of war? Does anyone sup pose that this man does not appreciate the patriotic sentiment which inspires his fellow Americans who desire to drill with the view of future service and who are demanding that rifles be given them?
 The ordnance officers do not deny rifles to men because they want to deny them. They deny them because the law of the land and the law of military sense compel them to make denial. It would seem from some of the stories which go floating about that it is the desire of army officers to pre- vent the American people from seeur- ing the means to prepare themselves. The fact is that the officers of the war department are putting their material where it will do the most good.
 Trained soldiers try to put their training to proper use. It has been necessary to conserve the supply of rifles and ammunition so that 1t may | be available for troops who must use l them in actual conflict If the pnu-