Jasper County Democrat, Volume 19, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 April 1916 — Resources of This Country Make Us Safe From Foreign Attack [ARTICLE]

Resources of This Country Make Us Safe From Foreign Attack

By WILLIAM C. JONES, Former Congressman From Washington

WE are today better prepared to meet such an improbable emergency as war than ever before in our history. On the other hand, every other great nation is wasting its strength. Who supposed that we wore prepared to produce munitions of war? And v. 1 this holocaust disclosed the fact that WE COULD PRODUCE THEM FASTER AND JX (PREATER QUANTITIES THAN ANY OTHER NATION EXCEPT PERHAPS GERMANY. But what constitutes preparedness for war anyhow ? . First and foremost is a numerous citizenry, patriotic, vigorous, energetic, intelligent men and women who can speak and write a common language and read, a free; uneensored and unmuzzled press. NO OTHER NATION ON EARTH CAN COMPARE WITH US IN THESE ELEMENTS. Tin- -e--ond e-sential of preparedness is the ability to produce the sinews of war. We have already spoken of munitions of war. Of other essentials we produce the following proportions of the world’s total supply: Cotton, 10 per cent; corn, (jO per cent; wheat, 3d per cent; pig iron. 35 per cent ; lend, 35 per cent; copper, 40 per cent. Our production of iron hre, steel and zinc, clothing and fruit is limited only by the demand. If a Chinese- wall were built around this country all wc would miss would he tea. coffee and bananas.