Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 282, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 December 1917 — WAR TALKS [ARTICLE]

WAR TALKS

By UNCLE DAN

Number Four

Military Training Necessary for Safety and Defense. r , “Say, Uncle Dan,” said Billie, mie and I have been looking up about war in the encyclopedia at school. We found that in the war betwgpn Germany and France in 1870-71. Germany lost in killed and wounded 28,000 soldiers while France lost about six times as many, and she lost every battle. We uskecTProfesaor Slocum why this was. He said that the German army was highly trained hnd ably commanded, while the French soldiers were poorly trained; and that their war department was honeycombed with jealousy and politics; that the officers were not much good, and that’s why France lost the war and so many men. What do you think about it, Uncle Dan?”

“Well,” said Uncle Dan, “Professor Slocum is right. By inefficiency France lost that war, together with two of her best provinces—Alsace and Lorraine —and had to pay a billion dollars indemnity money. France today learned her lesson by that sad experience, so she put in universal military training, and as a result, her soldiers now know how to fight and how to protect themselves. They are losing less men in the war than the Germans. France also put politics out of her war department, so that expert authority, Instead of bureaucratic stupidity, now directs the army. The result Is. Franca has one of the best and most efficient armies every assembled, and this shows what thorough training and good leadership means in warfare. This saved France in this crisis, as well as the liberties of the world." "As war is now conducted, there is no place for an untrained man. A body of 10,000 well trained soldiers properly handled could defeat five times their number of raw recruits and do it every time with comparatively small loss to themselves. Proper training aloiie will reduce the death and casualty rate one-third of what it otherwise would be, and right here Is an unanswerable argument for universal military training.

“Our government has no moral right toforqe her men into war service without properly training them for it. To do so is simply murder, hence the frantic effort that is now being made to give her soldiers some training before they are sent to the front. If we are to win this war, it will take trained men to do it, and it will take trained men to win any other war that may come upon us in the future. If we must fight, let us fight to win and not to lose.” “That’s the stuff,” said Billie.

Continuing, Uncle Dan said: “Our government has expended about $300,000.000 to put up cantonments and training stations in order to train the men called by the selective draft. When these men are trained the training stations should be immediately filled with younger men, say those in their nineteenth year, to receive six months of intensive military training along the Tines of the Chamberlain bill. This will be of benefit to them individually. It will do them more good than any other two years of their whole life; it will make them strong, manly, self-reliant, quick to see and quick to act; it will equip them for a successful life. In short, it will rebuild Americas manhood und will also give the government a body of trained men-to draw from in case it is necessary to defend our flag and country. We must settle this question of universal military training immediately, otherwise these training camps may be demolished. The adoption of universal military training will be notice to the world that from then onwe will be prepared to defend ourselves promptly and efficiently, and this will do more to keep sis out of war in the future than anything else we could do.”

“Do you think, brother,” said Mrs. Graham, “that there will ever be another war?” “I have no doubt about it,” said Uncle Dun. “So long as men are selfish, so nations are ambitious to acquire territory, so long as population presses and demands more room, so long as there remains a scramble for world trade —so long wars will be. When the time comes that we reach the high plane for which we hope and dream, when all will recognize the fatherhood of God and the\ [brotherhood of man, then, and then only, will wars cease. When that day* i comes doors will need no locks, banks will need no vaults to protect their treasures, but that day is a long way off. “The only safe and sane plan is to be able to defend ourselves at all times. Therefore, every citizen should Insist that senators and congressmen shall provide for universal military training, so that never again shall the ‘country be caught so completely uniready as this war found us. Fortunately, in this tase, our enemy has been held back, so we have had a few months In which to prepare. This advantage probably will never come again. It is however our salvation today. “Because she was ready, Switzerland Is'an island of'* peace in a sea of war. Safety first Is good, but safety 1 always is better. In strength there is safety. You ,never saw ff tin can tied to the tail of a bulldog. There to a reason.** r