Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1924-10-09
FOR PRESIDENT COOLIDGE.
AND THOSE THAT PAY.
2,00O FIGHTING PLANES.
FOR ONE DREADNAUGHT.

Secretary Wilbur, of the Navy, to
Washington to discuss with him
"the relative value of battleships
and flying machines in war"
This means, of course, that the
President will LISTEN to others,
and TAKE COUNSEL with him
self. It means that, with all his
work, he has found time for the
serious problems of air defense,
and does not intend to keep this
country among the backward ma
tons, as regards real preparation.
Facts alone will influence the
President, and they are not lack
ing. For instance:
One battleship of dreadnaught
class cost forty-fve million dol
lars. For that sum the nation
, could build and mobolize TWO
THOUSAND FIGHTING AIR
PLANES. Does the President or
any other sane man ask what
chance a battleship would have
against 1000 fighting air machines
dropping INT from the clouds?
The French have come through
a real war, with invasion to the
very gates of Paris, millions killed.
other millions wounded. THEY
know something about fighting
What has France done to prepare
against danger across her border?
France has a first line of air
defense, consisting of two thou
sand fighting air machines, with
a reserve of two thousand more.
And that fighting French air
feet is what makes England, with
all her numbering battleships,
cruisers, ETC., "the worlds great
est battle fleet" so pitifully polite
to France. She will continue to
be polite until she can dominate
in the air. as she Used to dominate
The two thorsand first Is
fighting planes that spell secuN-
ity for France, cost, in Europe,
less than half the cost of one first
class dreadnaught here. No Won
der France insists that Germany
shall build no fighting planes.
We continue spending millions
on big guns and ammunition for
practice. They also will soon be
classed among museum curiosI-
ties, used to make a loud noise in
the Presidential salute, or tickle
the vanity of some admiral return
mig to his ship.
A sixteen-inch gun costs as
much as two fighting airships. IL
lasts only long enough to fire one
hundred and twenty shots. Then
it is burnt-out scrap iron. The
life Of a fighting plane, costing
half as much as single big gun,
is equal to that Of an ordinary
forty-five million dreadnaught.
3lr. w. J. Davis, of San Diego,
earnest advocate of air defense,
says truly, "The nation foremost
in the air will win the next war
at the drop of the bomb, ard be-
fore the world wakes up the next
morning amid the fumes of phos-
phorus or of bombs Of some other
kind, if it does wake up at ak the
var will have been Won"
Battleships, besides being obso-
lete, are fricntfally e.;oansivo
soon out of (tatc, worthless ii
peace. Flying machines, enough
of them to maze this nation safe
against attack by sea CT land
could be built without burdensoyae
taxation, kept up with Slight ex-
pense, and they would BAY their
way III peace, twice over, in the
mail service, and in spying out
forest fires.
Before this country faces a
new war-it won't come, while
they are all borrowing from US
the range Of fiiers and subma rirea
will be as great as that of any
floating vessel. The submarines
viii go as fast as any cruiser and
the fliers, Of course, twenty times
as fast as any fighting ship afoat.
These suggestions are submitted
to the President, who will decide
what shall be done, and to the
people of this country. They will
| pay the bills in money, which is
not important, ard in blood, which
is important, if fatal mistake be
made in our plans of defense.
What you read here is printed
in several hundred daily news
papers, including 7the Herald Of
Washington, D. c., where those in
office may see IL, and in several
thousand weekly newspapers, read
il m:l,:ons OF countzg ZONES.