The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1917-04-05

be destroyed. /
A fleet of thousand great ships :
would be a thousand great floating,
moving forts. A fleet of thousand
ships, with 10000 great, long range
guns and 10000 high class gunners,
would fear no enemy. +
In time of peace the guns and the
movable decks of steel would be left /
on shore. In time of submarine
danger guns and freight would travel
together. In time Of real war the
freight ships would become fighting
ships, backed up, of course, by pro-
fessional fighting navy.
Give the United States a well
trained, highly paid standing army
CT a quarter of a million self sup
porting men, improving the United
States as workmen improve farm.
Give the United States a navy. to
start with, Of thousand great freight
ships on the oceans, 500 fast mai
ships on the lakes and rivers, with
torpedo tubes in their bows, and
large fleet of airships and sub
marines, and this country could have
trained and ready.
A few thousand policemen keep
peace in New York City. We do not
have to arm and drill the 100000
inhabitants.
A quarter of million well trained
professional fighting men earning
their living in peace times would
keep peace in the United States and
discourage anybody with the idea Of
invading our territory.
i'd to the industrial army great
national freight fleet of a thousand
big ships carrying all the freight of
the United States, fast torpedo boats
carrying mail and PASSENGERS on lakes
and rivers, powerful flyinc machines
watching and reporting forest fires
in peace tine, ready to go to sea as
scouts and dynamite carriers in war
| time: fleet of submarines exploring
the bottoms of our lakes and other
waters in peace and blowing up the
| bottoms of hostile war craft in time
of war-such an arrangement, self
supporting, making the country richer
instead of poorer, would settle the
peace question.
| The fleet suggested. of course,
would net please England or other
shipbuilding countries, for the United
States, able to borrow money at
Per cent or less. would be content to
make per cent or less On its fleet.
It would make that easily, and self
defense would be put on a paying
basis.
Will those now planning to spend
thousands of millions for the United
thousands of millions that
| ~ L Ill
consider the possibility of using the
money for the advantage and build
ing up of the country?
Suppose that the United States
possessed now an industrial army and
navy such as we have outlined here.
Suppose this country had 100000
well trained, we'll armed, powerful,
full grown, well paid, patriotic fight
ing men and workers.
Suppose quarter of million such
men were earning their living inn
proving the country, adding dollar
# value to the nation for every do
lar spent on them and ready at q
moments notice to drop their tools.
take up their guns and bayonsts.
Suppose the United States possess
ed to-day such a government owned
; fleet as we have suggested.
: Suppose that we had thousand
great ships in port and on the ocean,
with ten huge cannon and ten well
trained gunners for every ship and
ammunition for the guns, ready to
be taken on board within twenty-four
hours.
Suppose we had on lakes and rivers,
/ carrying passengers and mails, hun
, dreds Of fast, powerful boats with
torpedo tubes in their bows to be used
as destroyers in case of war.
Suppose that the postoffice owned
IS it should. 10000 or more first
class automobiles carrying the mails
with fighting BODY and a quick
. firing gun ready to be put on each
, chassis in place Of the mail wagon
, on two hours notice.
Suppose the government property
included 500 or 1000 flying machines
used in peace to detect forest fires
! meet incoming hostile ships.
!, Do YOU think there would he an,
agitation about 'swar danger" 0,
e 'slack Of preparation" if we were thus
equipped?
> Would there be from such a navy
md army of well paid men any Of
! those constant and numerous de
serters that are the despair of the
e army and navy now?
Men hate life of professional
:: idleness, and professional idleness
plus small pay discourages enlistment
A navy and armv such as we have
described, paying high wages and get
S ting back dollar for dollar from
{ canals. roads, bridges built, swamp:
. drained and deserts irri~ated. wou' {
e have their pick of the powerful mer
i Of the United States The only prob
4 lem would be selection.
| Why should this republic Away.
/ Elan for the kind of army and navy
that the kings invented whe, army
and navy were really intended to pro
tect kings from their own people o.
to enable kings to attack weak neigh
bors?
1 If John D. Rockefeller owned ths
United States he would make the
armv and navy self supporting ane
7 highly efficient.
Why should not this renuhlic Dc
! for itself what such an industrial
genius as Rockefeller would do if h.
! !. owned the whole country instead Of
part of it?
If you think it worth while write
, to your congressman and your sen
; ators, cut out this article and send i
. with your letters if vcu think it woult
: be a good idea for the government t.
8 own it's ships and to plan as far a:
:. practicable for a self supporting
q army and navy