The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1924-08-28
The Defense Test

explanation of the Defense Test is
part of an address by Major General
r. L. Billiard to the Southern club of
Columbia university. 1t is a clean-cut
discussion of the issue involved.)
Four years ago our Congress, with
that best of sights backsight- took
our National and World War expert
ence and embodied it partially in a
law of National defense. One Of its
provisions looked to bringing men
quickly into the military service in
cases of great emergency. The method
was, I say, based upon our own Ma
tional and war experience. 1t provided
the measure that would be taken by
the authorities of each locality, a
thoroughly democratic way. 1t author
lied committees or boards to be APP
pointed by the Governor of each state,
in each region thereof, to bring peo-
pie together in such emergency, in
the Regular Army, in the National
Guard, and in the Reserve.
This law has been new upon our
statute books for four years without
test or trial of any sort. 1t has recent
ly been proposed by the War depart
ment and sanctioned by the President,
to make peace-time and peaceful
test of the law, to show our people
the first faint steps that they would
take in case we should ever come to
a war; and this is proposed to be had
in a time of profoundest peace and to
be wholly voluntary.
Along with this little test we are
civ oil ~ 4i,oao
of war; popular demonstrations of pa
triotism and good will toward the
country's call. Patriotic societies are
invited to take part in public demon
strations.
All of this, say, whether by sold
Ter or civilian, is to be entirely vol
upon the part of the citizen
and the public and without cost to the
to last a half hour, an
hour, or two hours or three hours as
people desire. There is nothing COM
pulsory, there is nothing boastful,
there is nothing threatening whatever
in its nature or purpose. 1t is aimed
at no particular nation and has no
other idea than self-instruction, just
as children are drilled in the schools
in the method of saving themselves in
case of fire in their schoolhouses or
as crews of ships on every voyage are
drilled in the work OF saving them
selves and passengers in case of wreck
or fire.
Upon the announcement of this
commendable and worthy plan, great
outcry has been raised by few brain
.olr II
according to them, "militaristic ges-
ture," "faunt in the face of other
nations" threat of war;" and what
not, which would arouse and offend
other nations. | assure you that it is
so trifing and peaceful thing that
any nation that would regard it as a
threat of war would be silly fools.
If any nation feels so inclined, and
we have not heard of a single one who
does feel so inclined, to look upon this
as a threat Of war or militaristic
gesture such a nation is throwing a
fit; and if it really takes this little
trial as threat of war, or if it resents
this little test of the National defense
law, then /, for one, say we should
have gone very much further and
AA0dS q iCdl SnOW u WAL OuL VI III
because such resentment would be the
resentmnt of the robber and the thief
against the man who locks his door or
guards his property. For the Govern
ment to yield to such foolish outcries
and give up this little harmless test
and abandon its law and method of
defense would be just like abolishing
the police because thieves and robbers
found them disagreeable, troublesome,
and threatening to the thieves and
robbers business.
The people who are making this
nysterical outcry are, say, of the
pacifst group whom, during the war,
we@ learned to know and curse as the
worst enemies that the nation ever
had. By such hysterical talk before
The war they brought US up to and i'm
to the war unprepared, and made US
ose always two and sometimes three
Zines as many men as our Allies fight
ng at our side. They made it recess
'ary for as to rely upon Great Bri-
aims navy to stand between US and
he enemy until we were ready to
light. 1t amounted to British naval
,rotectorate over this great nation.
However kindly that was, do we, as