The Owosso times., 1922-02-03
ARMY MEN BELIEVE PROSCRIP-
TloN WILL NOT PUT AN END
TO ITS USE IN WAR.
is MADE EASILY IN SECRET
Any Faithless National Would Have
Tremendous Advantage Unless the
=. Others Are Allowed to Keep Abreast
of Chemical Development.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK

mended for prescription as an outlaw
In warfare. VIII prescribing poison
gas put an end to its use?
Seemingly everybody is rejoicet
throughout the country because GER
tain limitations have been put on the
use of submarines and 'other imple
ments OF warfare. Everybody. OF
course, would rejoice If II could he
known In advance that no nation ever
again would use poison gas in war
fare, but poison gas Is on different
footing. so to speak, than submarines
and other things which men use when
they want to kill other men.
1t is pretty well known that the men
who are to give their signatures to the
act of prescription do not believe that
there will be any check to the study
of poison gases and Of their efficiency
on the field of battle. AS many men
here seem to view 1t. the very nature
of the poison gas case fOrbids the
neglect of its study by the military and
naval establishments of the world.
even If its use is forbidden.
be given an entirely different form Of
consideration than that given to. say.
submarines. If the size Of submarines
is limited by agreement no country can
build big raiders without having the
fact known at once. But with poison
gas the thing Is different. The chem
ical industry will continue in exist
ence. 1t will advance as the years adj
vance and with its advance knOwl-
edge Of the means Of the manufacture
of poison gas Of increasingly deadly
nature will keep pace.
Easily Made in Secret.
In one country today there are
chemical industries turning out en-
tirely proper and beneficent material.
but which can be turned over night in
to poison gas factories and no one
will know the difference. The moving
g lever or the slipping of belt in a
way are the only things needful to
change the medicine factory into a
mustard gas factory.
Even war time it as possible Tor a
learn what the enemy is doing, pro-
vided the work under way takes time
and necessarily must be conducted
more or less in the open. Poison gas
is made under cover and when II Is
shipped an observer cannot tell II from
the ordinary munitions of warfare.
Therefore. as army men and foregn
office men view the thing. 1t will be
perfectly possible for an enemy coun-
tt which docs not care to keep It's
poison gas agreement, to make gas,
ship it to the front and deluge with It
an unsuspecting enemy which Is keep
ing It's word In the gas matter.
Military men say that the country
which breaks its word. gets it's secret
ly-made gas to the front, and uses IL
against the enemy, will win instant
victory. The Germans did not win
victory In 1915 by the use of poison
gas because at that time there was not
the high efficiency in its use which
later developed. Today there are
gases which need In their liquid form
only to be sprayed on an army I'm order
to annihilate 1t.
Feel They Must Be Prepared
The question which is disturbing
military officials of the United States.
and unquestiOnably those of all other
countries is whether they are to be
allowed for defense purposes to keep
sufficiently abreast of chemical de-
velopment to be able to meet I'm war
fare a gas attack from word-breok-
ing country. Five nations seemingly
are to agree that gas shall not he
used. 1t seems to be the feeling that
If any one of these five nations shall
keep abreast Of the chemical times
and the other four do not. the one
which keeps up with the study and |
makes up its mind to break Its word
can put the other four nations OUT of
the running quickly If war shall come.
II is perfectly true that some of the |
ranking officers of the United STATES |
army have urged that the use of poison |
gas in warfare be prescribed All of
the officers Of the army probably are
willing that its use shall he prescribed |
hut what the majority fears Is that the |
agreement will he taken as meaning |
that the United States is to lose inter.
est In gas even as defensive weapon |
and that In consequence II q war shall |
rome, 1t will he totally unprepared 10 |
meet an emergency situation IL such
shall arise.
IN warfare n country Is invaded
and It's existence ms milton is M
stake. II can he taken for granted
that II will use any means thar n
knows anything about 10 drive the In.
vader out. That is national nature
lust as u is human nature.
Senate Gets Another Scholar.
George Wharton Pepper has taken |
Ms seat In the United States senate
rs the SUCCESSOR of the hate Boies Pen
-ose. Another 'scholnr IN polifics'
ias been added to the senate member
'hip.
senntor Pepper usually is accounted