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Show Sailors And Soldiers THE New York Times points out that it would not be an impossible task for this country, in the event of war to swiftly supply all the needed ships and war munitions, but the trouble would be in securing men trained in the handling of mips, and in the duties of soldiers. In former times when we had a merchant marine ma-rine there was no trouble in securing men for ships of war from the merchant and fishing fleets. So far as merchant ships are concerned, that need should begin to be filled at at once and our schools should at once begin the elementary training of soldiers. , In this the states should no longer wait on congress to move, but the state governments should so readjust the routine pursued in the ! dl schools as to include military training for boys of sixteen years and more. The schools would ' cost but a trifle more with this change made, and ; before five years the wonder of the people would be, why the plan was not sooner adopted. M The changes physically and. the bearing of the boys would be so great that each parent would approve. M Then with each autumn there could bo annual M state encampments, where the boys would learn the duties of camp life; and maneuvers on a largo M scale under regular army officers would give the h boys clear ideas of how armies are organized and H handled in war. M We would be glad to see Utah inaugurate such H a system. It would supply such an object lesson H as, we are sure, would cause all the surrounding H states to initiate the same system, and the mill- H tia problem in the states would in a few years bo H solved. H While our statesmen are considering the best H methods to insure the republic against attack, or H of defending it in the event of attack, there is one H manifest fact which they never should lose sight jH of. Should a war come, it would be as it was il in 1861; the young and bravo of the whole land 'H would have to meet it and every sentiment of H prudence, economy, affection and sound judgment H would favor their being so prepared as to put all H their faculties in such form as would enable them !H to draw around them every possible protection H and when a crisis came to be able to use their H brains, their hands, their eyes and muscles to the jfl very best advantage. t'H Had this been the rule for fifteen years prior H to 1861, we doubt whether that war would ever ' have been precipitated. Fifty years has passed since the lips of the last cannon of that war grew cold, and we can afford to be candid in referring to it. I The men of the south had grown to beligve that with their familiarity with the use of guns II they could sweep over the farmers and shop- 'H keepers of the north and decide the war before H the north had gathered the strength to resist V them. No vision of what the army of the Poto- H mac, or the army of the Tennessee or the army of the Cumberland, or the army of the Mississippi "J would be ever came to them. Their thought was - repeated by the Germans last year when they made their first drive upon Paris and the northwest north-west ports of France to make such a conquest j as would bring peace before their antagonists were ready. ! If any attack is made upon us in the next 3 three years, that same thought of a furious and decisive assault so terrible that it will compel the i great republic to accept a humiliating peace, will be behind it. Of course it would fail, but the object should be to meet it with the least possible loss of our people's lives. J But for the future the preparations should be begun in our schools at once. It would need but small changes in the curriculum of the schools and ix(l very little to their expense. Once begun and faithfully pursued for ten years, the army of men I i Bf in our country trained in the elementary duties Bf of soldiers, would cause the boldest of this world's Bj powers to hesitate before becoming involved in Bl serious trouble with our republic. Bj And it would be the cheapest insurance a na- B tion over took out to guard against danger. B If the general government will not see to this B the individual states should. |