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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 1915)
4 UNPREPAREDHESS SEVERELY SCORED Representative Gardner Lists ; Ailments Charged to United ':. . ' . States Army. SHORTAGE IS EVERYWHERE Iflea of Trained Citfrenry Rushing to Arms in Case of War Is Re garded a Fiction, in View of " Shortage in Other Conflicts. OREGONIAN NEWS BUREAU. Wash ington. Jan. 17. Representative Gard ner, of Massachusetts, who baa done more than any other man in Congress to call attention to the military nnpre paredness of the United States, has ls ued a statement in which he discusses at some length the question. "What Alls the American Army?" "There is still truth in the old. old tory that it's the man behind the gun who counts." be says. "But for heav en's sake, how far behind the gun do you want the man to be? Must he be so far behind the gun that he hasn t even a bowing acquaintance with it urftil war breaks out? Tet that is where wi stand today. Our Regular Army lam. mere handful. Our reserve aVmy s a farce. A good deal over Sna-tblrd of our militia absolutely struck their guns off their visiting lists during the whole of last year. "Trained Cltlsenry" Imaginary. "The fact Is that this fiction of a trained citizenry rushing head over heels to arms in time of war is purely the creature of a deft Imagination. The strength of the- trained citizenry argument d, not lie in its own sound n5s: but in the fact that most of us Sr. politically stopped from saying what we really think about the mllitis, or National Guard, as it is called 1 believe that most men arV Hves the best and most "a"185, when they undertake the thankless duties of militia service. I believe that militiamen are keenly l0tu "A,?, tact that many persons scoff at them a tin soldier.. At all events, I when I was a militiaman I was sensi tively alive to the good-natured super ciliousness with which my fiends re garded what to them appeared to be my harmless vanity. -I believe, moreover, that as me duties are made more arduous and more serious the militia steadily improves although it becomes harder and harder to fill its ranka On the other hand, 1 . h.iiv that over two-tblrds or our militia would materialize in war time, and I do not tnina m.u enca could be placed upon them until months of severe training and a weed-ing-out process had hardened them into military shape. States FaU to F1U ftaotaa. "I cannot forget that no fewer than 18 states of the Union fell short bj preater or less amounts or j.uruiu... their quotas of troops during the Span ish War. I cannot forget that after the first burst of enthusiasm was over cities and towns offered bounties in order to fill their quotas of troops in the Civil War. I cannot forget that the Rational Government later on gave a large sum of money to each veteran who would re-enlist, nor that both the Korth and the South were eventually obliged to resort to the hateful neces sity of compelling "men to Join the army against their wills. All those things are none the less facts because they are unpopular facts, ana oecauso it. - the fashion to blink them. "Neither can I shut my eyes to the report of the Chief of Staff on the rec ord of the militia for the year ended June 30, 1914. Out of 120.00 1 militia men all told. 23,000 failed to present themselves for the annual inspection. Si ooo absented themselves from the an nual encampment and 44.000 never ap peared on the rifle range from one year's end to the other. Wilson's Error Pointed Out. "The President says that we have al ways found means to defend ourselves against attack, but the President is ciulte mistaken. We shall take leave to be strong upon the seas, in the fu ture as in the past.' says he in his an rual message to Congress. That was the same position which President Madison took at the time of the War of 1812. 'We shajl take leave." quoth Madison, and take leave he certainly did." bag and baggage, militia, states men, clerks, lobbyists, julep mixers and all. Down Into Virginia he went, leav ing the Capitol and the White House to'be burnt by the victorious British. "Poor Dolly Madison! She saw it all and she wrote her sister Anna these bitter lines: 'Alas. I can descry only groups of military, wandering" in all di rections, as if there was a lack of arms, or of spirit to fight for their own fireside." But, there was no lack of spirit In those militiamen from Mary land and Pennsylvania and Virginia r'ar from it. They had spirit enough arms ennurh to defend their own presides: but they did not know how to do It. because they had not been molded Into an army. They were but a mob of citizenry under arms. False Sense of Security Fostered. "The sad part of it ail was that they had two years In which to prepare, for i ... events did not occur till the Sum mer of 114. The Administration of that day had fostered the belief that the country had been misinformed and hit the Government had not been neg. ligent of the National defense. Hence it was that these poor militiamen were not ready when the day of trial came. A maddened Nation roared for a sacrl l ce and a sacrifice was vouchsafed unto them. Armstrong, the Secretary 01 War. was made the scapegoat. Just as Alger was made the scapegoat for our unreadiness to fight Spain and just as Garrison would be made the scapegoat tomorrow if we were to attempt un successfully to put a large force of men into the field. So much for our regulars and our militia. There remains to be con sidered our reserve army of former enlisted men. We can dismiss it with a word, for President Wilson says that we are not to depend on a la.tre re serve army. Perhaps it is Just as well not to depend on It entirely, for it consists of only 1 men. Ammnnltlon la Lacking-. "Nine weeks ago. Major-General W. W. Wotherspoon. chief of staff, and virtually head "of the United States Army, made his annual report to the Secretary of War. If General Wother .nn hnii never done anything in life except write page It of his report, he would deserve the thanks of the Na tion for that superb act of courage inn IT tells us how much we ought to have and how much Is actually on hand or in sight. Mere is tne moie. Required. Trifle. ........... .42.T41 itlfte rs'rtridCM C48.tW0.000 Held sun. (exclusive of ri:tnt cunt) m" 11.790.S50 mOW So you see that we are short 400. 000.004 rifle cartrlges, 11,000000 rounds 0 TrTTTTT x J H -3 - Vc EVER MADE From the period when Man first emerged from the dripping caves of pre historic times; when his only implements of peace and war were the bones from which he gnawed the raw and bleeding flesh; when he was a beast of battle and his female a beast of burden; from these times, when the star of human destiny hung quivering in the murk and plasm of a primeval world; down through the em battled centuries, when might was right, and the millions were ruled by the sword and lash; even to the glorious years of our own era, when right is might when the few are the servants and not the masters of the many and Man is coming into his own Kingdom. Through all these changing cycles and centuries Larned's "History of the World" carries the spellbound reader, stirring him, as it were, with gripping memories of a pre-existence. Seventy centuries unroll themselves before his eyes. The hoary Pyramids yield up their royal secrets; Babylon and Asshur become again the hustling marts of trade; we behold the Children of Israel forsake their altars and cross, dry-shod, the Red Sea's unwetted sands to the Promised Land. The glory that was Greece and the grandeur that was Rome dazzle us once again with their, ineffable splendor. Our hearts thrill to the solemn chairi of the Crusaders as they stagger amidst the hush and silence of an endless desert on and on to Jerusalem the Golden. We view the mighty sea-rovers of the far North as they sail uncharted seas to lands unknown to man. We hear their battle-shouts mingled with the shrill screams of the cloud-riding Valkyries as Celt and Teuton go down in defeat The legends of Ancestral Europe are enacted again before our very eyes. Charlemagne and his paladins,. King Arthur and his knights, Siegfried and the heroes of the Nibelung march before us in immortal pageantry. Powder is invented, and the classes be gin to crumble before the masses. Print ing is vouchsafed from Heaven and the masses begin to achieve democracy. The dazzling star of Napoleon arises through the smokewreaths that encloud his cannon in the streets of Paris, blazes across the heavens with meteoric splendor and sinks forever beneath the desolate marshes at Waterloo. We fight anew the battles of our own Revolution; we pass through the bloody baptism of the Civil War. Spain yields her priceless possessions to the Stars and Stripes. The birth of liberty in our neigh boring Republic of Mexico, guided and guarded by her elder sister of the North, is heredeseribed for the first time. From the Fall of Babylon to the fall of Vera Cruz, these matchless pages of our century's greatest historian, Josephus Nelson Lamed, hold us breathless with the - annals of all recorded history and yes terday's seven thousand years are im- breathed with the life of humanity TODAY. Here it is first announcement today a startling offer FIVE volumes COMPLETE, containing ALL the WORLD'S history, for the mere cost of distribution, with only one coupon clipped from nr-a -v We have succeeded in getting a limited The- Oregonian MEIER & FRANK CO., or at OLDS, W0RTMAN THE OREGONIAN & KING OFFICE NEXT WEDNESDAY The supply will not last long and the offer cannot be extended so readers are urgeu lo iuse nu tunc J. K. GILL & CO. LARNED is the author of the world-famous "His tory for Ready Ref erence," which has gone into every school, college and public library in the land, and which is consulted oftener every day than any work of its kind ever published. LARNED'S "History of the World" is his latest work, and a monu ment to his genius and learning. The climax of a long life devoted to historical research. II N2eoaoroy Only O 113 enchanting - pages of History. All about the men and the deeds of men that have made this world what it is today. 150 wonderful illustra tions in colors and half-tones; many of them full-page reproduct ions of great historical paintings. rie Coupon As this of necessity must be a SHORT-TIME cam paign, only one coupon will be required. Every reader who clips and presents one coupon will be st -J T entitled to this complete history of the g Wf world in five beautiful volumes for only J -B- Don't Delay Clip Your Coupon Today YouVe never had such a chance before youH never have another such chance. Be quick. 5000 marginal notes with Important events in full-face type. 10,000 separate and dis tinct page references. This Offer Cannot Last Long hPatiful de luxe binding; gold lettering, fleur-de-lis and tracery design, rich half-calf effect bea?Hu,fi?nA with Sold and colors. Full size of volumes, 5'2x8 inches. U-u o As Accurate as a Scientific Treatise You need no other volumes of history with Larned's on your shelves. 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M WM ' I On bSTid 89S.374 :ii,uoo.mk SSI- of artillery ammunition and 1000 field guns, if General Wotherspoon's judg ment is sound. "Of course I am not an expert in these matters, hut 680.098 rounds of fieid artillery ammunition seems rather inadequate as a reserve in the lieht of General Wood's testimony that Russia shot away 250.000 rounds against the Japanese in the battle of Mukden alone, yet S80.098 rounds is all we have on hand. Making Guns Slow Work. "Working three shifts night and day all the factories in this country, n.nmmMit and private as. well, can turn out in the first six months after war is declared only 4u.uuu rounu. ..lui.rv ammunition, or only 160,- Afin mr rounds than Russia shot in a sinsrle battle. They can enough to keep eight guns going under an ordinary oaltie conuiuuu shots a day. In one year all Govern- mr, nrl nrivate factories put to gether can turn out BOO field guns, or one-quarter or our snori. " r-i WnthcrsDoon estimates it. "But where are all the giant guns w,h w oroirressivo Americans omrht to have? How are we off for .v.o ..nnriurful implements of war fare with which other nations have been arming themselves? We still are shaking hands with ourselves over our biggest gn, the six-incn nuwiuei. Rattle of Crecy Recalled. ,rr-.itinn Vith it after tha battle of Crecv, a board of French generals was called together to report on the newfangled cannon which England had used in the fight. After profound cogitation the generals decided that no j...HnM whatever could be placed in gunpowder and that cannon could be useful only under ciiuui ,..... n,vp llkelv to occur again. By a unanimous vote, so it is said, they H,tm,t tn rnpir ruir uiv w J mansanel and the stout caJPul; would triumph in the future, as in the past. If anyone wishes to know the moral of this tale, let him inquire of our ordnance experts. It may be that we have no need of guns with greater j. than aix inches, btill, Ger many's 16ij-inch howitxers and Aus tria'a 124i-inch guns seems to be lair ly serviceable In battering to bits any thing from an impregnable fortress or a venerable cathedral down to a cov ered trench. Sir John French. loousn ly perhaps, seems to place some reli ance in his stt-inch thunderers. We smile at their puerile penorm- ances and continue to estimate and plan and report and consider and con gratulate ourselves that we have the best three-inch field guns which can be made, even If we are a little bit slow in rushing Into the making of big ordnance. Talk Hade to Cateh Votefc "Let those foreigners waste their money on perfecting submarines and aeroplanes. Zeppelins and howitzers. We propose to keep our money in our pockets. That is the way to talk ir you want to catch the votes. Let us faithfully watch and men proceea 10 rean the benefits of the foreigners experiments without costing us a cent All of which is vastly crafty, no doubt. provided no foreigner starts to experi ment on us. "Oh. well, what's the odds, since the apostles of pudginess tell us that they ara going to put an end to wars by the brotherhood or manT in tne sweet bye-and-bye, perhaps, when we have abandoned the Monroe doctrine and when the- Californian Intermarries with the Chinaman and tne JUlssis- sippian intermarries witn tne negro. Until that day is at hand, don't forget the parable of the foolish virgins who had no oil in their lamps when the fateful moment came' . Bible of 1698 Owned in Toledo. CENTRALIA, Wash., Jan. 17. (Spe cial.) R. G. Paxton, a resident of To ledo, Is tha possessor of an old Eng lish Bible which was printed in London in 168 by Charles .Bill. The cover and some of the first and last pages of th book are gone and others are yellow with age. The book came into Mr. Paxton's possession from his moth er, who is a descendant of the Crozier family, of which the names of several members a.re found in the family rec ord in the book. A number of births and deaths are recorded, but the ear liest date that is decipherable is 1746. ENRICHED HEIR GONE BRIDE IIV SEATTLE SEEKS HUS BAND, WHO GAINS FORTUNE. David Benjamin MeCracken, Left 2S0, 00O a Year by Mother, I. Mi ing World-Wide Search On. SEATTLE, Wash., Jan. 17. (Special.) Mrs. Mary A. MeCracken, now a resi dent of Seattle, but until recently a. ranch-owner of Geraldine, Mont-, is making a world-wide search for infor mation concerning her husband, David Benjamin MeCracken, heir to a large estate in Scotland, and who, by the terms of his mother's will, is to be known henceforth as David John Blair. The Importance of the searth lies in the fact that MeCracken. following his motner's death, jumped from the posi tion of a ranch-owner to that of a landed gentleman, with an income of J800 a dav, or approximately $280,000 a year. With th exception of a let ittor, i.o- him while in Minneap olis en route to Scotland, where the Blair estates are locaiea, nuiume. been heard from him. Substantial bank balances In his name are held in Geraldine and Butte and his bride of a few days awaits him in Seattle. The closest investiga tion by Attorney T. B. McMahon. who is aiding in the search, has failed to disclose any trace of MeCracken. CANBY WINS TWO DEBATES Sllverton and Voodburn Teams Are Defeated. CAKBT. Or, Jan. 17. (Special.) In the triangle formed by Sllverton. Woodburn and Canby.. to debate on v. nntinn of Government ownership of railways, under the auspices of the State High School Debating League, the Canby High School carried off first honors Friday night. The negative team, composea oi iui- ton Bradford, Jonn bb.ivuisi.uu " Delia Newstrum, met the Silverton team at Silverton and was awarded a 2-1 decision. The affirmative team was representor by Royce Brown, Daphne Bisset ana Veda Brown, who were declared win ners, 2-1. at Canby over the Woodburn delegation. Woodburn's team was John Stone, Harold Dlmmick and Dwight Parr. The Judges at Canby were J. T. Mat thews, of Willamette university; At torney Ringo. of Salem, and Professor Davidson, or saiem nigu ouuu. THIS HEN LAYS AND CROWS a. - Sheridan Reports Freak of Brown Leghorn Variety. SHERIDAN. Or., Jan. 17 (Special.) a iL Knickerbocker, of this city, has a hen that crows aa well as any rooster. The bird is a normal brown Leghorn hen and does not appear different from the other hens- It is a gooa layer. One morning as Mr. Knickerbocker was leaving the house to feed the chickens he heard the crow, which had become familiar but could not be Placed as he had no rooster in the flock. After creeping up to the henhouse he saw one of his large brown Leghorn hens stretch forth her neck and execute a crow that would do justice to any as piring rooster. Medford Haa Beet-Plant Campaign. MEDFORD. Or, Jan. 17. (Special.) Every business house In Medford will close next Tuesday, when a house-to-house campaign will be made through the vaUey to obtain the necessary 6000 for the establishment of a beet sugar factory in this district. About 3000 acres have aireaay oeen oieno" t is estimated that 200 automo biles will be used by the campaigners In touring the vaUey Tuesaay w oomiu signatures. TO SEE F, EXECUTIVE PREDICTS SUCCESS OF BOTH EXPOSITIONS. Livestock Show at San Francisco Ex pected to Prove Irresistible Magnet to Fancier. SALEM. Or, Jan. 17. (Special.) In connection with an exchange let ters today with Charles C. Moore, pres ident of the Panama-Pacifle Exposition, Rnvumop Wlthvcombe made the an nouncement that probably he wouia visit the exposition In California more than once and that he planned to par ticipate In at least one of the special events at San Francisco. The Gov ernor said: "I am dally becoming more confident of the unqualified success of the expo sitions in California. The very mis fortunes of Europe will tend. In some measure, to the good fortune of the exposition, at least so far as American travel Is concerned. I believe an enor mous number of Americans who pre viously took their holidays abroad will come to the Coast this Summer and. from what I learn from Ean Franclsoo and San Diego. I am confident that their transcontinental pilgrimage will be amply repaid by what they wilt find. . , "Personally, I hope to be a visitor to the expositions, perhaps more than once. I already have received srversl Invitations to participate In special events at Ban Frauclsco during the Summer and hope to accept at least one. Certainly I want to take advan tage of the hospitality of the splendid Oregon building and the accommoda tions there so thoughtfully provided for the Governor." It is understood that one event con nected with the San Francisco Expo sition will find the Governor present without fail. That Is the stock show, which he predicts will be the arealest exhibit of the kind ever conducted. Rain May Blotk Tillamook Line. JJEHALEM, Or, Jan. 17. (Special.) Continuation of the present rains may tie up the railroad into Tillamook County as was the case during Jan uary last year and tha year belorc. The pleasant weather In early Jan uary promised to hold off the freht season, but tha past week recorded a continuous downpour. All creeks aro up and the river Is rising rapidly. Tlm bermen are in hopes the river will continue to rise to bring down tno logs which are high up I" the rivers. Martlnlonr's 7S distilleries Isst year pru flureil s '.'Wn a ssllons of mm. ..L,se De Pachmsns-wnos. , . - h.nk of-h. wU, not -oH- flee beauty of tone to noise." Now Tforh Jouruiu. Masonic Temple Auditorium West 1'srk and Yamhill atrosts. BXT bUSDAV ArTKH.NOON. At S O'clock. NEUHAUS THE KMIXENT PIANIST. B . . a i rttttmA A runt's KxquUlt Pfulam. . , . , i t i tinns nr t n a ui riti mu 5uoe. H.r Ratals a. "Trlnmph. of Art Stetaway ran. Furnished by Khermaa. Clay Co. TICKET- nf. 1JI Halrony, ?h'"Z.t'$,J "Her programm ar. sad uisUactfy lev.ly."-Lo. Ansel". Tlm 1)