| Show standing army should be employed in constructive work in time of peace by DANIEL A POLING boston borton MM mam our preparedness for peace is indeed poorly begun if it does not place very early in its program the conservation of mines forests natural waterways k and unclaimed soil boil the ibe conservation of all natural resources in such conservation lies an opportunity to employ our armies in times of peace so BO as to make them constructive builders of the nation two hundred aud and fifty thousand men could be engaged for wel unnumbered y years ears in m i the mi mississippi 1 ippi and missouri valleys reclaiming the flo flood odla lands ads the richest of the country in strengthening the banks of these rivers from source to mouth in building a system of reservoirs at the headwaters of all great rivers to eliminate disastrous inundations and so as to give an equal distribution of water throughout the dry sea season on in in reforesting refo resting the hills and lesser mountains in vast irrigating projects that will make maka out of the great american desert a waving wheat field and a garden in building a system of national state highways in opening up alaska in completing an inland w waterway from florida to maine that would make p possible assi b le the prompt mobilization i in n perfect i safety of vast forces corces to be used against a possible hosale invader andin and in bu building alding networks of railways paralleling both seacoasts to be in times of peace highways of commerce and in time of conflict should the necessity ever arise the carriers of munitions and ae defenders fenders such armies would he be a crown of glory to the republic and one of the surest guaranties guarantees guaran ties for world peace that america could provide the chief menace of the standing army idle and unoccupied minds would be removed men of the uniform would be n no longer trained to think destructively but constructively the direct daily military instruction tion while not neglected would be an incident in their business as soldiers the supreme task of their lives would be the building of the state the creation of a greater america such a program would enable us to pay the soldier and the sailor an industrial wage a wage large enough to guarantee the enli enlistment ament of men desirable morally physically and mentally and it would also assure them the nation that these men on retirement from army service would be bd equipped for all the tasks that fall to the lot of the private citizen |
