The Washington times., 1924-01-16
DIR. FRANK CRANES
DAILY EDITORIAL
Other Things the Army Does
Besides FiOht
By DIR. FRANK CRANE.

CNECRETARY OF WAR WEEKS delivered an address
y at Los Angeles les some time ago in which he called
attention to the other things the army does besides
fighting His conclusion showed, although he did not
draw that conclusion that the army might be made
engine for destruction This being the case it is
other argument for universal military training.
While opposed to war and to the preparation for war,
and being assured that the world peace
until it prepares for peace intellgenty it has al
ways prepared to fight at the same time, ardenty
In favor of universal military training. think that not
only every boy but every girl should be required to work
for the Nation as member of the army and navy for
at least one or two years.
But this conviction is based upon the preliminary
rangeent of emphasizing the constructive work OF the
army and navy.
90 with the development and construction of our rail-
roads, with the building and sanitation of the Panama
canaI ana many other public works.
BESIDES this the army has conducted lake surveys
has built the Washington Monument, the Library of
Congress and the Lincoln Memorial.
It has used the Chemical Warfare Service for the
destruction of rodents and insects besides which the
various gases have lent valuable assistance to the
American dye industry well to chemical production
generally. This service has also been of use in COM
batting the boil weevil and other pests The Army Air
Service has been of great in the protection of for
est the prevention of fires the spraying of fruit trees
from the air and the like.
Army medical cleared Havana of the disease that
had ravaged it for hundred and fifty years. and have
changed Panama from a death region to district
healthy as any American CITY, Indeed the record of
medicine has been nowhere brilliant in the army.
During Che civil smallpox claimed over seven thou
sand victims During the world only fourteen. In
the civil malaria claimed fifteen thousand, in the
world war; twenty-five In the Spanish-American war,
twenty thousand suffered from typhoid. In the
world we had but two thousand cases.
Other instances of efficient constructive work by the
army are The campaign against social diseases, the re-
markabe inventions and accomplishments OF the Signal
Corps, the work of the Weather Bureau, improvement
in the breeding of horses, the work in civil dis
asters such as floods confagrations and the like.
The army lawyers rank very high and men who
have had their schooling in army finance have made
good records in civil life.
If such work as above indicated could be
phaszed the advantage of the army great national
school would be apparent.
The best preparation against war; of course only
be found in proper international organization And the
best preparation for good citizenship for the develop
ment of the civil conscience and for the improvement of
our national stock would be the organization of the
army upon constructive basis, that s to build, to i'm
prove and preserve and not to KILL to parade and to
destroy The best preparation for good citizenship might
well be the national army this might well be that school
from which any man woman would be proud to hold
a diploma.
Copyright 1924 the Mcclure Newspaper syndicate)