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Show KAHN FOR PREPAREDNESS PREPAR-EDNESS AS 8E-. 8E-. F0RU917 WASHINGTON, July 7. Refuta-ton Refuta-ton of the attacks of the Democratic minority upon tho Republican attempts at-tempts to supply anadequatc arm; are vplced by Representative Julius Kahn of California, chairman of the houso committee on military affairs, who forced through the draft law during the war when tho Democratic chairman failed to do so. He says: "I have seen repeatedly condition: similar to the one wo are confronted with at this time. When tho nation-al nation-al defense act camo up in 1916 and somo of ub trled'to put preparedness provisions in the proposed law Democratic Dem-ocratic members arose nnd asked: 'Whom are you going to fight; whom aro you getting ready for? There Is no need to do this; there Is no need to prepare.' And yet In eight months we wore In the world war. That war by leason of our unprepar-edness, unprepar-edness, In nineteen months cost the taxpayers of this conutry In treasure alone $24,000,000,000. That does not take Into consideration the lives of the men who were killed and wro died froni disease; It does not take Into consideration the men who gave their limbs and their blood for the!! country; It does not take luto coo slderatlon tho hundreds of thousands of men who have had their health Im paired and who will be Invalids during dur-ing their whole life. ' I have often said that If congrca had appropriated the enormous sum of J50.000.000 a year for preparedness, prepared-ness, It would have taken this country coun-try 480 years to expend $25,000,-000,000 $25,000,-000,000 which we had to expend In 19 months of war. It seems to mo that In days of peace It Is far better to keep our country masurably pro-pared pro-pared by expending seven, eight or even ten millions of dollars, for preparedness pre-paredness than have to expend billions bil-lions of dollars in war because wo nre unprepared." |