Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-12-17
WAR TALKS
By UNCLE DAN
Number -Four
Military Training Necessary for Safety
and Defense.
Number . -Four

ME and | have been looking up about
war in the encyclopedia at school. w,
found that in the war between Ger
many and France In lS70-7l. Germany
lost in killed and wounded $4,000 sol
dierS while France lost about six times
us 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
heir war department was honey.
eombed with jealousy and politics
that the officers We're not much good
and that's Why France lost the war
and 80 many men. What do you think
about it, Uncle DAMP"
Well" said Uncle Dan. Professor
Slocum is right. BY inetficiency France
lost that war, together with two of
her best provinces-Alsace and Lor-
raine-and had To pay billion dol
lars indemnity money. France today
learned her lesson by that sad expe-
ricnce, So she put in universal military
training. and as result, her soldiers
now know how 10 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 unframed man. A
body of 10000 well trained soldiers
properly. handled could defeat five
times their number OF raw recruits and
do ii every time with comparatively
small loss to themselves. Proper train
ing alone will reduce the death and
casualty rate one-third of what ii 9TH
erwise would be, and right here is an
unanswerable argument for universal
military training.
Our 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
&c 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 it will take trained
men to win any other war that may
come upon us in the future. II we
must fight, let us fight to win and not
TO lose"
''That's the stuff" said Billie.
Continuing. Uncle Dan said: sour
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 six
months Of intensive military train
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 two
years of their whole life it will make
them strong, manly, self-reliant quick
10 see and quick to act; it will equip
them for successful life. In short.
it will rebuild American manhood and
will also give the government n body
Of trained men to draw from In case
1t Is necessary to defend our flag and
country. We must settle this question
of universal military training imme-
diately. otherwise these training camps
may be demolished The adoption OF
universal military training will be no
tice to the world that from then on
we will be prepared to defend our.
selves promptly and efficiently, and
this will DO more to keep us out OF
war in the future than anything est
we could do
"Do you think. brother" said Mrs
Graham, that there will ever be an
other war;"
81 have no doubt about it, SAID
Uncle Dan. $50 long as men are
selfish so long as nations are ambi
tious to acquire territory, so long as
population presses and demands NOR,
room, so long as there remains 9
scramble for world trade-so long war.
will be. When the time comes tina
we reach the high plane for which W,
hope and dream, when all will recog
nize the fatherhood Of God and Thu
brotherhood of man, then, and lhel
only, will wars cease. When that da,
comes doors will need no locks, bank
will need no vaults to protect thel
treasures, but that day Is a long wa,
off.
"The only sufe and sane plan IS {,
be able TO defend ourselves at al
times. Therefore every citizen shout
Insist that senators and congressman
shall provide for universal miltar
training. 80 that never again shall tn
country be caught so completely un
ready ms this war found us. For
unately, in this case, our enemy ha
been held back, so we have had a fey
months in which to prepare This nd
vantage probably viii never com
again II Is however our salvation