Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1919-08-26
Nature of Gas Warfare.


Nature of Gas Warfare.
There seems to be some miSunder-
standing throughout the United
States about the nature of gas war
fare. Gas is not as deadly a weapon
as other approved weapons of war,
but if an enemy is unprepared to
meet gas attacks he will be put out of
the conflict until preparation can be
made, and in the intervening time the
country which has gas, and which
is using it is certain to win its vic
tory unless preparation can be made
quickly.
British, French and American au-
thorities say that with the develop
ment of gas warfare to its present
condition it will be impossible to pre-
pare quickly against an attack of the
enemy who is fully equipped with the
modern offensive gas appliances. The
reason the British were able to pre-
pare in 1915 is that the first gases
used were not as effective as those
which later were manufactured. With
gas as it is today the army which
has it can defeat out of hand any
other army which may confront it, no
matter what it's siZe-at least so runs
the opinion of military experts in
! Washington.
| Congress, it seems, came to the con-
| clusiOn before it sanctioned the con-
| tinuation of the chemical warfare
service that if any line of chemical
industry is probed it will be found
] that it has a war application as well
as a peace application.
| The action of congress makes II
clear that it believes that the chem
zeal warfare service will go hand in
| hand with the efforts to develop a
nitrate supply for this country, to de-
velop the dyestuff and acetylene in
dustries against hurtful foreign COM
petition.
Bird Protection Shows Results.
| Washington officials connected with
the biological survey of the depart
ment of agriculture, of which E. w.
! Nelson is the chief, are faithfully at
work these days in carrying out the
provisions of the treaty with Canada
which gives the United States power
| to protect migratory birds. DR.. E. X.
Fisher and Dr. F. S. Palmer with 9TH
| eT officials are doing commanding
work.
The effect of the prosecution Of Of
| tenders against the laws regulating
shooting is already evident. Strong
support from genuine sportsmen has
come for that provision of the law
which prevents spring shooting and
which gives the migratory birds secur-
| ity during the season of mating and
nesting. The whole country now is in
sympathy apparently with the laws
which protect the song and insectivor-
Gus birds of the land.
A French scientist has stated that
six months after the disappearance of
bird life from this planet of ours man
would have to prepare to follow in the
trail of disappearance. The French
| mans findings have been borne out by
other scientists declaring that insect
life would increase so rapidly if its nat
ural enemies, the birds, were all killed,
the green things on the earth would be
dead in short order and that therefore
no cattle could live. and man being de-
prived of both vegetables and animal
food. would go the way of humiliation
by starvation.
Washington Swarms With Birds.
All of which in way is aprOpOs Of
the extraordinary abundance of song
bird life in the capital of the United
States in this late summer season Of
1919. No shooting is allowed in the
District of Columbia at any time of the
year. The result is that birds literally
walk over the feet of people who sit in
any one of the parks with which this
city abounds.
OF course domestic pigeons are not
wild birds, but they are not ordinarily
as tame as chickens. In parts Of
Washington the domestic pigeons will
light on the heads of persons sitting
ing fed. They are seldom disappoint-
ed.
What is true of the domestic pigeon
is almost true of the blackbird, known
generally as the purple grackle. These
glossy fellows will eat from the hand.
Robins do not care for bread crumbs
and therefore they do not besiege the
park visitors as do the other birds, but
they pay no attention TO passersby and
will pull worms from the sod uncOn-
cerned while within less than a hands
reach of humankind.
What is true of the city is to a con-
siderable extent true of the suburbs in
the District of Columbia. This sum-
mer I have seen the homes of twelve
pairs of house wrens under the shadow
of one suburban residence. Wood
peckers, orioles. chickadees, robins,
bluebirds. martins, chipping sparrows,
barn swallows, sparrow hawks, red
shouldered hawks, and a dozen other
spncier of birds were nesting, eommun-
ity-like, on the same domain.
Avoid Extreme Views