Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-12-28
WALKS AND TALKS
-r..D1De
From the BROOKLYN EAGLE
Many Grounds for Reasonable
National Curiosity
By JULIUS

The United states has been at war
with Germany for about eight months,
and apparently well authenticated re-
ports from the other side assert that
the comparatively few American troops
in training Somewhere in France are
inadequateIy arm I'd, insufficiently
clothed for a winter campaign, and
practically without machine guns or
field ordnance.
Nobody outside Germany is permit
ted to know how many engineers, in
fantrymen or cavalry arenont there';
they are the less excusable is the lack
of preparation. Curiosity demands
that we know what the Government
gun works at Watervliet and the SPRING
field and Franklin Frankfort arsenals
have been doing since the possibilities
of wal became apparent in the middle
of 1914.
Assumption is reasonable that none
of the thousands of weapons manufac-
tured by the Government at these
places, during that time, were sold to
the Entente Allies or to the Central
Powers. Such acts would have con-
stituted violations of International law,
about which there was much pratiBg.
Where are the guns? AS the Govern
ment has not engaged In such traffic,
curiosity Is likely to develop into grave
suspicion that these large national de-
pots and factories created for the ex-
press purpose of maintaining up-to-date
supplies of small and large arms were
trifiing with a grave situation.
Reference to the annual appropri-
alton bills, however, shows that the
expense of maintaining these arsenals
was regular and increasing. The great
factories at Philadelphia aud else
where for making army clothing were
employing their full compliments of
workmen aud workwomen. Why,
then, should there be any shortage of
personal equipment for the assumable
200, 900 now in France or the 700, 900
novitistes in the training camps?
\ X
Unfortunately, the American people
have very few men in Congress who
actually represent their real interests.
This was apparent throughout more
than two years preceding the tardy
declaration Of wal against a swagger-
ing, bullying, contemptuous nation
that during all OF that time was heap
ing indignities upon us. Our misrep-
resenta ives were addicted to the same
shameless appropriations for 'spork"
that had disgraced previous sessions.
This week will see at least five tafdy
Impulses begun at Washington into
the now conceded stagnation of effort
that has characterized the manage
ment of the War and Navy depart
ments. We'll might a score of other
inquiries be started before Saturday
night. There are ample fields for such
tasks.
What has long been needed in this
country is a Northcliffe, unafraid to
ask questions or to frankly c~riticise !
The trouble has been that whenever
curiosity prom pied an editor to ask
why the nation was so utterly unpre-
pared for the long expected emergency
~ his feebIe-minded contemporaries
alleged that his wall is set to the Pills
ner motif! 1t is as easy TO day to de-
bounce a man as a pro-German as it
was during The Civil War to call any
citizen who chafed under the eggre.
gious blunders of a Burnside or a FIRE.
mont a Comprehend"
AS | said in the beginning, Congress.
both Senate and House, Is about to
grappleswith the unknowable Gener-
al Crozier has already made some awk-
ward admissions and Secretary Baker
has assumed the responsibility" for
things as they are
The American people are not likely
to be satisfied with such an ''assump-
ton" There have been too many as
sumptions since July 81, 19I4l 1t was
assumed" at Washington that Ger
many would not eink the Lusitania; II
was "assumedn hat Germany would
not infest this neutral land with spies
or destroy our munition factories; it
was "assumed" that Bernstorff was a
gentlemen OF honor and that his meth
DDS were those of a true diplomat.
There is nothing unreasonable about
Congress asking where the hundreds
of millions. lavishly and ungrudging-
ly furnished by the American people,
are going! Congressman have exempt
ed themselves from paying their share