MR CARNEGLE AND INVASION

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14658, 6 May 1913, Page 6

MR CARNEGLE AND INVASION

The trouble about some peace advocates is that they know so little about war. Mr Carneg:© is ono of these. This highly successful business man

who thinks that capacity to amass millions Atitles him to speak with authority on all sorts of subjects, has apparently been unable, to master somo of tho facto relating to the dofenco of the country where he made his money. According to a cable message, ho is reported to have told the Peaco Congress at St. Louis that " the British authorities might think it " possible for 70,000 troops to land in " Great Britain within three weeks, " but the United States was able to '• copo with seven times thai number."

It is not certain whether Mr Carnegie said 70,000 or 170,000, but we have given him the benefit of tho smaller number. Now, lot us apply the acid of facts and figures to this statement. Seven times 70,000 is 490,000; let us suppose Japan land<>d half a million trained troops in California. Tho

regular American Army consists of 80,000 men. sortie tkoii.sands of whom would be doing what they could to defend the Philippines from tho same invader. .Now, apart from this hugo disparity, what, is the quality of this Army? Tho officers are oscollent, and the material is good, but wo find tho editor of tho American "Infantry Journal" declaring that tho Army is " totally inefficient for the tnio purpose "of an Army. ... As an Army we have " no organisation whatever, so far as any " military principles are concerned, and " without organisation it is impossible " to have a military system worth tbo "name." General Chaffeo, late Chief of the Staff of the American Army, says that ''our mobile Army is so "ridiculously small in the world's war " game that it amounts to nothing "better than a discard!" Tho United ! Stg-tes. ho says, is "as helpless as a "babe" as regards repelling an in- ] vasion, and tho Japanese could easily j make themselves masters of tiio Pacific coast. Mr Dickinson, Secretary for "War in Mr Taft's Cabinet, considered that tho country was unprepared for invasion, and advocated tho raising of tho Army to 900,000 men! Thoro is, of course, the militia, some 100,000 strong, but it would bo little or no use against trained troops until it had been hardened by training nnd discipline, and supplied with proper organisation. Of course, tho Japanese could not conquer tho "United States, and it is almost certain that if they tried to hold a portion of it permanently,-thoy would, sooner or later, bo driven out. But tho driving out of half a million, a quarter of a million, or even 100,000 men, would bo a long and laborious process. All of which Mr Carnegio would have realised long ago if ho had taken tho trouble to enquire into the

qtiestion seriously