PAGE FOUR
LA GILLXDE EVENING OBSEltVER-
TrlE OBSERVER
BRUCE DENNIS, Editor and Owner.
Entered in the Pout Office at La
'. Grande, Oregon, ag aecond claaa
matter, ''' :j-y.--
' i' ' ' 1 1 : ' iii
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TIS WELL THAT IT'S MEXICO.
If, in the course of human events,
the United States must go to war in
1914, it is well that our antagonist is
illiterate and degenerate Mexico.
Recently in discussing the probability
of war, an eminent authority on army
statistics, voiced the following, re
garding the strength of the United
States: .
Military authorities are all agreed
that the United States Is in no posi
tion to go to war with a first class
military and naval power, but in meet
ing the crisis that has' arisen over
the Mexican situation it is in vastly
better shape than it was upon the
declaration of war with Spain.
When, war was declared against
Spain the Spanish navv was con
sidered almost the equal of the
American fleet, and Spain had in
Cuba alone more trained fighting men
than ever were in the entire regular
army of the United States. There
were then in the army a considerable
number of officers who had seen
Civil War service and a large num
ber who had seen service against the
Indians, probably more than the num
ber of soldiers who had not seen any
kind of service.
; The army was in a state of stagna
tion. Its limited - numbers spread
over 3 million miles of territory
would have made an attempt at ma
neuver training a farce. It was only
partly armed with the new Krag rifle
and wholly untrained in its use. Its
artillery was not modern and it had
barely enough of it and no adequate
supply of ammunition. It had no
transports and very little train. In
fact, the United States Army was
nothing more than a national police
force. As an army is was looked
upon abroad as a joke.
And that is the way that the army
is looked upon today beyond our own
borders, and yet in the sixteen years
that have elapsed since war was de
clared against Spain the army has
been vastly improved. Sixty thou
sand trained men leaving out the
Philippines, Hawaiian and Panama
garrisons can be started for Mexico
or any other place. The army has
its own troopships, it has ammunition
and supply trains. It is well armed.
well" " equipped and well drilled.
Thousands of the soldiers have seen
actual war service and very few have
not had field training in manueverg.
Its service corps have been improved
right along. Greater ; than all, how
ever, there is back of the regular
army some two hundred ' thousand
'men, available as the second line of
defense, who have had actual war
service, either as volunteers or reg
ulars, as long training either in the
regular army or in .'the militia." '
Before the Spanish War the
country had no military policy nor
had it any organization' to formulate
a policy. The . militia ' was such a
negigible quality that the war was
over before most of the "volunteer"
regiments had been licked into shape,
and it had to arm these volunteers
with obsolete, black powder rifles. In
fact, most of the fighting done by
the volunteers in the Philippines,
a year after the Spanish War had
ended, was with the Springfield rifle.
But after the Spanish War, with the
bitter experiences of, the country in
creating from next to . nothing an
army to uphold it, came some appre
ciation of Washington's maxim that
a nation's duty to itself is to "in time
of peace prepare for war."
The army was reorganized from top
to bottom, modernly equipped, and
made really what it should be the
first line of national defense. But
Congress has failed to provide the
second and third lines of defense.
So far as Mexico is concerned, the
United States is well prepared for
war, but simply because Mexico i
a third rate military power. The
army has its general staff to direct
military operations, it has supplies
and ammunition to keep the regular
army in the field, and enough, with
a bit of hustling, properly to mann
tain the few volunteers that are
needed. There are plenty of trained
men to fill in the gaps that may oc
cur in the ranks, and it has had
ample time to prepare for every
contingency so far as the small reg
ular force is concerned.
But if it shall be a first class
power with which the United States
became embroiled, there would be
another story to tell. Suppose, for
instance, it was Germany of Japan,
each having standing armies much
larger than our own, and natives
equal almost or superior. Germany
had what, on paper at least, is con
sidered the best organized and the
best equipped army the world has
ever seen. Japan's army is smaller,
but it has the big advantage of recent
war training.
War with either of these powers
would mean that the United States
must put either on the Atlantic or
Pacific coasts within two weeks an
army of 1 million men. Inside of
that time the whole regular army
could be there. Behind the regulars
would come one hundred thousand or
sc of the national guard. That would
muke a fairly trained force of from
150,000 to 175,000 men.
Then the trouble would begin.
More than 325,000 men would be
needed o back up the regular army
and the national guard. At this mo
ment the machinery for creating that
f 1 ,
WEST & CO'S CLEARANCE SALE
Of Ladies' Suits, Coats, Skirts,Dresses and Children's Coats Wfll $aye
, ..... ... . You More Money!
S ;..
? ' ' The reductions are genuine and the 'regular prices are lower to
begin with. Best quality of merchandise to select from. T Original
prices are left unchanged on every garment so you can see just how
I. much you save. .'. . '.. '
COMPARE OUR PRICES BEFORE YOU BUY!
OUR EMBROIDERY SALE.
offers unparalleled low. prices on newest patterns in
medium and wide flouncings.
SEE THE WINDOW FOR PRICES.
We favor D. Ward King Plan for good roads, Hear him Saturday, May 2nd.
r ... . if s
-"tl-"'.
mm .
NEXT WEEK IS NEMO WEEK.
From coast to coast the big stores in every town
will feature the famous Nemo Corsets during next :
week '
WATCH FOR NEMO DISPLAY.
army is crude, consisting of a jumble
of laws, mixing up federal and state
authority.
But that isn't all. An army must
have big guns and powder and shells
and the can't be made in a minute.
We have enough for a few days for
the regular artillery pitifully, inade
quate for an army of i million men
but that's all. We would need mqVe
cavalry and we haven't the equip
ment. We would need ammunition
I trains and suppy trains and we havej
barely enough equipment tor tne reg
ulars and national guards. ; ye
Chamberlain's Cough Remedy two
years ago, I have felt kindly disposed
toward the manufacturers of that pre
paration. I know of nothing so quick
to relieve a cough ot cure a cold." For
sale by all dealers.
Adv.
on one side by green pastures of
lentils, on which browse cattle, sheep
and horses. On the other side the
plowed fields are represented by cof
fee grains. The barns, windmills and
, far-off grove of orange trees, make
up the other details of the picture.
Even the road fence is neat and taut.
La Grande National Bank
Organized in 1887.
DESIGNATED DEPOSITORY OF UNITED STATES GOVERN
MENT. UNITED STATES POSTAL SAVINGS DEPOSITORY.
Capital $100,000.00
Surplus $140,000.00
Total Resources $1,000,000.00
For twenty years, in all kinds of finnncial weather, we have
successfully catered to the monetary wants of the people of La
Grande and the Grand Ronde Vail ey.
We respectfully solicit your business. '
La Grande National Bank
La Grande. Oreaon
would need infantry equipment and
we barely could equip half a million
men with guns, but most of them
would have no ammunition to shoot.
We have no tents for them and not
enough camp equipment.
In fact, considering that other
nations have advanced as much as we
I have, or more, in a military way in
, the last sixteen years, the United
I States is no better perhaps for a real
'war than it was in 1898. So, con
sidering these things, we are fortun
'ate in having chosen Mexico. What
! would happen if it was with Germany
or Japan would be a chopter in our
history which no one would care to
read until he has to.
Nothing So Good for a Cough or Cold
When you have a cold you want the
best medicine obtainable so as to get
rid of it with the least possible delay. '
There are many who consider Cham
berlain's Cough Remedy unsurpassed.
Mrs. J. Boroff, Elidn, Ohio, says,
"Ever since my daughter Ruth was
cured of a severe cold and cough by
5$S383.8$$$SS35S'SS
S
S.HAS UNIQUE DEMONSTRA-
$ TION. 8
'
James Snodgrass has a miniature
road drag in his grocery store window
and this ought to be proof enough
that the whole scheme is the best
that can be devised. "Jim" has dem
onstrated the fine points of the drag
on a tea road and if the drag works
on tea it certainly ought to work on
Union county roads. It is one of
those "before and after" demonstra
tions and is to the point.
One side shows a poor farmer in
his one horse shay, mired several
feet in tea, while the other pictures a
man coming along in his five thou
sand dollar automobile. The tea
looks like some of the black gumbo
on the Hot Luke road and was well
chosen. One way of boosting good
mads!
The highway, on which the King
drag is leveling the bumps, is flanked
SHOOTING IS EXPLAINED.
Punctured Plate Glass in Foley Build
ing Ends in Fines.
pension claim for A. Clark of this oity
through . legal representatives at
; Washington but failed to get results.
It then occured to him to refer the
matter to Representative Sinnott of
. this district Mr. Sinnott got an im-
mediate settlement that was very sat
isfactory to Mr. Clark'. The congress-
man waded through the red tape in a
few days and now Mr. Clark has a
pension, which, in the opinion of his
friends, he should have had long ago.
John Hatfield and B. E. Rogers
were fined $5.00 each today for hav
ing fired revolvers within the city
limits. This is the result of promis
cous shooting several days ago when
plate glass in the new Foley building
was punctured with holes. The night
policemen were first accused of having
done the work while shooting at some
dogs, a few nights ago, but when one
of the leaden messengers was found in
the Mt. Emily Timber company of
fices later, the ownership of the gun
to which the bullet fitted led to P. A.
. Foley and he in turn found some of
.his night employes had used his weap-
' . . .1 rr.L 1 1
on to scare iignung nogs, jliib uui
lets ricocheted and the damage resulted.
ADDITIONAL PERSONALS
- Pension Finally Received.
For some time past Attorney R. J.
Green has been trying to adjust a
Miss Fenstermacner, a trained
nurse of this city, left today for Wal-
1 la Walla, where she will visit for
! some time. "
E. B. Morelock came down to La
Grande last night to meet his wife
' who returned from Portland. Both
left this morning for their home in'
Elgin. Mr. Moreock states that his
son A. Lee, is organizing a cavalry
company in Elgin. Fifteen men sub
scribed their names on the first day.
Geo. Fuller of Meriden, Kentucky,
passed through the city this morning
on his way to Wallowa where he in
tends to purchase land and make his
home in the future. He states that
many people from his native state are
moving West, and that few of them
ever come back. The influx of Ken
tucky people into this valley in the
last 12 months has been notable.
Wimmom
n
Shoe Polishes
FINEST QUALITY LARGEST VARIETY
fu'iiiaE
"6ILT EDGE."ilie only ladlWauoc dreeilng Ihnt
positively conlln Oil. Blacka and I'oMbIiph ladlca'
aud children' nnota and rliot t, ihliwt wlUnul rna-
Wnn.wo. -raemrn sloss." ioo.
"DANDY combination for elf anlni and poUtnlnf
llkinilanf nmwlortan alloc, VM.. "STMT alas, 10c.
"ELITa" combination for ocntlamcn who talta
nrlde In halni thpir ahoea look A 1. Hratom color
and lintra to all biack ho. . Pollr-h with a brash
or cloth, 6crnt. "iAHY ELITE" lncraM.
"BUUY SHINE," watery."'"' P' poliahrorall
klnda of black allow. I'ontalna elll and unn lo
aollik and rcmrvt the leather. Iioica open with
Si ktr. loe. "KUSSFT MILY SHINS aume prlco.
!t..iir.t..lcr... r...l kn-p the kind ru nl. pen.loj
th IXM In .UffllK frr rnl I r-"kir. chu-ir I4
. WHITTC0l BROS. CO,
tO Albany traai, CambHo, Mw,
Tht OUtti ait lArtett MuKufartutni at
i . SkM fcAl&M tkt Welti, 1
$10.00 Down
$LOO A Week
6 MONTHS WITHOUT INTEREST
Several of the choicest building lots in
La Grande are now thrown on the market
under these never-before-heard-of terms.
Call and let us explain how very easy it is to
own a lot that will increase in value.
Security Land & Savings Co.
Phone Red 1251 ?
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