Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-01-02

I'm which the sight was lost. Df the
gassed patients, 4 were blinded IN both
O n, and 25 IN one eye, a total ~ ~.
These 20 were 1886 per cent u all
those suffering blindness in one or
both eyes. in other words. bullets and
high explosives were responsible for
25 times ag many blinded a@ Has
chemical warfare.
Chemical Warfare n Peace Insurance.
I'm defending chemical warfare"
says General Fries, I'VE are not plead
ing for war; we are Pleading for
peace TO the practical man the only
way peace can be brought about IN
the world---we mean permanent pence
Is 20 make war 80 powerful and 30
quick and 20 certain against the arm
ed forces OF the enemy that war val
become intolerable.
mo Chemical Wsrfsre officer has
ever defended frightfulnegs in war"
the General continued. The whole
service IL strongly against the use -
gas az well as bombs or artillery shells
against cities or other groups of un-
armed men, women and children. They
believe. however. that there should -
10 limitation on the use u these weap-
ons against the armed forces -
Ian enemy whether on lard
/ or sea. Each side knowing that
gas is TO be used. will provide Itself
with masks and gas-prOof clothing
and viii suffer Jess doaths,and Derma-
nent disabilities By far than II ths
same number Of men were injured ~
other methods. Modern war mas aimed
at putting men out Of action az FAR
as possible without killing or perna-
nently iniuring them. The records e
the war show conclusiveiy that gas =
beyond question the greatest war ma
terial ever invented for that purpose"
Chemical Plants Admit Of Industrial
Use.
Many Of the war gases have great
peace-time uses Most Of those which
have not such uses are mede by ths
same classes Of machinery. and ~
tho same methods, as our medicines.
our perfumes our Photographic chern-
icais. our eyes and even our phono-
gr -ph records. in SOM instances
there is needed only one sniff in a
process TO make valuable chemical
compound into powerful gar. An ex-
ample Of this is the change in thu
nanufa cture Of indigo % mustard gas.
u follows therefore. that prepArs .
ton for chemical warfare Is highly
economical, requiring no large outlay
b Of funds during Beace-tinnes. During
the war, chemicals cost about $3.50 =
600 900. while FOR other war materis -
, handled by the Ordnance Department.
. about So 900 900 900 was spent. Yet ID
5 is known now that at the conclusion
J Of the struggle. the Germans dreaded
$ chemical attacks and attacks from the
D air more than anything else.
g It is evident, according 70 Genera
= Fries. that nation with a large de-
= velOprns Mt Of commercial airplanes,
- and thoroughly developed cher1ics,
- industry, could wage a tremendously
u powerful war without a single can
3 non or machine gun. According "a
: the General, gases viii put out o..
commission from three 10 ten times
d as many enemy soldiers as bullets and
g nigh explosives, but the deaths would
n only be about one-tenth as great .
y from old-style fighting
: IF an army unprepared with za-
should meet an enemy thoroughly
T prepared to use gas, utter disaster
would befall the nation unprepared T
= General Fries said. The unpreuared
It army could not face the prepared ar.
e my for a day. and with airplanes ptIr.
h suing. could not escape. There would
e. be only one ,thing-sunihilation OF
.e surrender"