Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-20

our trade ply the ocean without suffl-
| cient merchant marine, cruisers, naval
bases and other protection in the way
of naval vessels. With this in mind,
there is every justification for our
building up to the London naval treaty
| requirements.
Qualify In Peace.
Both the Army and the Navy have
| qualified as peace institutions. They
have executed program which would
do credit to civilians, experimenting
their service to country when all ad-
| junctS for keeping us out of conflict
had failed. Our defense forces have
many peace-time tasks. Roughly, these
can be classified under the heads of
| pioneering, construction, administra-
ton, relief work and research.
THE truth about the Army is ascer-
tained in a statement contained in a
recent release from governmental
| sources:
:" The Arny's part in the opening up
| OF America to civilization is seldom
realized. It was the Army that built
our first roads and railroads. 1t was
the Army that preceded the westward
advance Of the settlers, smoothing the
way before them and bringing law and
order into the savage regions that were
| their destination. Today, when the OPP
| RSA OdAAbACo III PA4yoASdl dIC
| limited within our continental boun-
diaries, we see the Army still engaged in
its old role in Nicaragua, where it is
conducting surveys for an interoceanic
canal.
Construction Achievements.
Under the head Of construction the
Army can point out among its achieve
ments such diversified accomplishments
as the Panama Canal, the Seattle
Alaska Gable, the enormous amount of
| work already done and in process of
| completion in connection with river and
! harbor improvement and in food con-
| troll. Its constructive work is exempli-
| fed in such edifices as the Washington
Monument, the wings of the Capitol
and the Library Of Congress in Wash
| ington. In matters of administration
we find the Philippines and the Panama
! Canal Zone governed through War De-
partment agencies. Other major adj
miniStrative undertakings are the IN
land Waterways Corporation and the
| Alaska communication system The
Army was intimately connected with
the development of the Governmental
| Weather Bureau and the Lighthouse
| Service.
1.-The country at large Is accustomed
in times of disaster. The establishment
of orderly, healthful living conditions
where natural calamitieS have swept
away the SuperStructure of civilization
Is task to which the Army, with its
experience in field service, is peculiarly
| adapted. Opportunities of this nature
may be expected practically every year
They are not limited to America, where
the Mississippi floods and the Florida
hurricane are still recent memories:
they have even originated in far-off
lands, such as Japan, Venezuela and
Martinique. They are met by the Army
from its personnel, supplies and funds
without reimbursement usually with
! scant realization on the part of the
ordinary citizens that they are by
product of national defense.
Vast Research Organization.
Finally, the Army is by its very
nature vast research organization. and
the benefits of its discoveries and
processes contribute extensively to tech
meal progress. There is scarcely q
branch Of science or industry that the
Army does not employ, and in turn il
reacts for the benefit Of each category.
Space permits of only casual men
ton OF the Army'S share in such
achievements as the conquest of yellow
| fever and of typhoid, the pioneering of
aeronautical engineering, the develop
ment OF the principle of interchange
aole parts in industry, the advancement
OF the sciences.
"'In these and in numerous other
nelds science and the country are in
debted to the Army for important adj
vances in knowledge and technique.
There must be considered
among the dividends obtained from ma
tional defense the contributions to the
country'S economic welfare that are
mace IN the form Of stimuli to patriot
Ism, 10 civic duties and to national
solidarity. The existence of the armed
forces, with their exacting standings of
honor, duty and patriotism, form a per-
nlanent example and inspiration to the
country at large.
III Is not uncommon to encounter
statements which imply that a prepon-
derent proportion of our governmental
revenues is spent on past and future
wars" The proportions quoted vary
from II to 86 per cent, depending on
the manner in which the figures are
compiled
Should Make Cost Comparison.
"One might answer, while the ex-
penseS Of national defense and of wars
are hanQieo almost entirely by the
! Federal Government, other great items
betrayed by revenue-for example edu-
| cation, sanitation. local governmental
projects-are charges upon the several
states and communities concerned
Even If we admit the justice of jumping
all expenditures connected with war
under one head, that sum should he
compared with the total governmental
costs OF the entire Nation, rather than
with tnose which pertain exclusively to
Federal administration. Thus in 1929
total taxation is estimated at SO 28O
OOO, of which total defense expen-
diture amounted to $685., 600 900. or less
than z per cent. To do otherwise than
to take account Of total taxation implies
an economic Interpretation which fat
tiers neither the individuals who ISSUE
such misleading statements nor the
persons who are impressed by them.
Justice or truth would not prevail
II in considering the cost of defense we
did not realize that there is mistakenly
counted against the Army the large
sums appropriated for civil activities
administered by the Secretary of War
These include, in part, the Panama
Canal, the inland waterways, rivers and
harborS, flood control, the insular nos
sessions, the Alaska cable and tele-
graph, the national parks and ceme-
teries and numerous other public serv-
ices that have no military character.
| These amounted to more than S122.-
| o00 900 last year.
War Is Act of People.
"Pacifists never bear in mind that
war is an act of the people and of the
Government and not of the Army !
Patriotic people should always be honest !
in calling attention to the fact that the |
Army brings back peace when it has
been lost. The Army is a part of the |
machinery of Government, and as such |
is entitled to recognition and whole
some support by all the people for its