Norwich bulletin., 1920-02-13
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Military Training.

MT. Editor. The first thing to be ad-
 duced against the record of the sen- ate military committees report, is that, while the ratification Of the treaty is pending, no report should
 have been made. National defense de- bends upon the kind and the degree or the nations danger. If we are to en-
 ter League of Nations, as doubtless,
 sooner or later we are to do, what will be% our danger from aggression Ger many must reduce her army to 10000 in March; she has no navy and for an indihnite time to come is no moro likely to attack Us than is Belgium or Italy. We have not. the slightest reason to fear attack by Russia and no other great nation is left outside the League which can be considered for moment. The probability Is that in ten years or much less, if we enter the league,
 both these great countries will be within the league.
 Although the four compulsory train
 ing bills that have been before con- gress propose only six months to a
 years training, this marks only the be-
 ginning. Our general staff says that,
 eventually, we must adopt two years compulsory peaeetime training. The l army officers are professionally and financially interested in pressing for. a larger and larger army. The pro- vfders of army equipments from shoe strings and matchboxes to machine guns are eager for large orders. and are pressing the clamor foEl universal compulsory military training. It
 means enormous orders for them what ever it means to the taxpayer who looks with horror at a budget of five billion dollars for next year as con- trasted with one of less than billion five years ago.
 Should we remain outside and in more danger than if we were in the league, we yet have for ten years to come a body of 4,000,000 trained veter- ans, quite ample to protect us. We have no need to divert the construc- tive energies of the youth who are in college or at work to leave the trade that all civilization is trying to put as much out of business as that Of the distiller and brewer and sa-
 loon- Keeper is here today.
 Only one really universal training 1 bill has been introduced in congress.
 The Smith Towner bill. introduced by the National Education association.
 This appropriates $100, 0,O00,000 for the 1 encouTa cement of physical training l and general education through the ex- 1 isting educational authorities in the various states. It will benefit girls l as well as boys, and will train the weddings and detectives who most need training. $160, 0,000,0O0 seems a great deal when put into educa- I cost will be of feeding, clothing 1 equinping and training from six months to a year 100000 young men every year and this one expenditure is seen to be not more than one-sixth l the amount annually needed if the new I policy is adopted.
 Our country needs defence from nauy dangers. but the least of these, 1 judging by past history, is defense l from foreign foes. Influenza slew | 300.o00 in one-half year in our coun- l try-more than all the killed and all 1 the wounded who recovered in our l share of the great war Industrial ac- | cidents have killed far more than all l who ever perished in all our wars. The real dangers which threaten us l are those of our own making. They are industrial and political and econ omic. They have to do with the awful depletion of our forests. with the in I equalities due to special privilege, with mai adjusted taxation, with our l flliteracy, our high cost of living, our profiteering, our irreligion and crass materiaIism. These are not to be re- i moved by practice at target shooting, , Wfftlo we ClOSo our rural ScnoOlS TOT ] lack of 5e,00o teachers and fill others i with immature and uneducated young | girls. We must not permit soldiers to i imagine that they are the only defend I CTS of their country. They can de- fen6 us against only the most unlike Ely dangers. They are almost neg i ligible compared with the physician and health board. when one contrasts the actual losses of war and of dis l ease.
 What is needed Is a new conception l of danger and of defense and the res cue of the long suffering taxpayer l from fictitious claims by over scared I or in balanced pleaders. who focus at tention on only one type of danger and one type of defense.
 LUCIA AMES MEAD.
 Boston, Feb. 2, 1920.