AMERICA AND WAR

Evening Star, Issue 15914, 21 September 1915, Page 6

AMERICA AND WAR

MILLIONS OF EXPERT SHOTS. Americas alleged unpreparedness (fo? ;V- r « Tf 3 * 1 "‘ lth ln striking fashion bv • , • Oarlock m the course of a letter m the ‘New York World.’ He saysTo my knowledge, the ‘World’ is about the one paper that does not belittle the military resources of the United States of -America. lon do not preach total insuffi. ciency and deplorable unpreparedness to all tii© world. _ What, in the name of numanuy, is it in tho crania of our editors that is wont to shout thi 3 ridiculous subversion of facts to other nations of the world ?

I want to make the statement of absolute truth that if war comes to this country these mciij in whatever field, will bo responsible. In their hearts they ought to know it is a lie. They taught it to opam, they have preached it to Japan, they are now shouting it to Germany. Can it be they are really ignorant! Do tiu recall Bogardus, the old-time expert and his eons? How they made the country fairs and gave exhibitions to every mother’s son throughout the country? And since Bogardus there have followed a thousand others—hitting the bull’seye, ringing the bell at every shot, shooting backward, upside down, and from the reflection of a mirror; and then the boys all rushing honie to their rifles and stic'kmg to it until each became an amateur Bogardus wi,th genuine pride. I did this. —Potential Soldiers.— My neighboring playmates did it; no doubt you did it. And to-dav there are throughout the great West, ‘North, and South, if not, indeed, also the East, millions of these sons, trained to shoot the eve out of an eagle, hardened from work ‘in the fields to fibre of steel, fit as a fiddle, with the courage of a lion, and straining at the leash—not a man to be made into a soldier, but a soldier already and ready to fall into line.

The writer knows this country to Its very border, and he knows what he is saying. He slung his carbine to his back during the Spanish War; he needed bub a few days’ drilling; and he looked upon the tens and tens of thousands of champion fighters flocking to the drill ground* m every State, waiting to get to Cuba, hut never called, because never needed. Wtiy, there are enough hardened, brave-as-a-iion, trained shooters in ten Western States of the Union to match any otheg one nation on this earth.

They have trained from babyhood; they are here and they are ready. Leb this country be in danger and the call sounded, and you’ll need grub for 10.000. the next day, and a big enough place for them to fall into lino. And 15.000. men can be placed in the field in a case of emergency. Let the citvbrcd, untravelled, unenlightened, deluded old fogy laugh at this, but the true American knoll's it is a fact. And in the nkma of peace and Justice, it is about time to apprise the rest of the world of this fact. —Japan Knows the Truth.— Why, there are enough hardy young men in the West, hardened to a life even harder than that of a soldier, and each with a rifle already by his side, to match every man that can carry a gun beyond the Rhine. Why can’t the truth be made known, and in time? Then there will ba no war. Why can’t our American newspapers tell the facts and prevent war, instead of bungling and distorting and giving other nations an idea of our weakness, our dividedness, our lack of strength? If they want to harp upon our lack of ships, our lack of powder, our lack* of big guns, let them do so; but In the name of honesty let tills foolish talk about a lack of good men cease. Let me tell you of on-a nation that is not fooled—and that isi Japan.