Jackson Advocate

McCLELLAN IS RIGHT ABOUT AIR POWER
(Courtesy of New-Progress)

An immediate crisis in our relations with Russia was pictured by the President in his message, Wednesday, to Congress. He said in effect that we face the probability of a showdown with Russia, and must have greater military strength if we are to come through it safely.

The President was equally clear in pointing out that this showdown need not necessarily mean war. Our aim is to keep the peace, he said, and he plainly implied that there is a good hope of doing so if we are strong enough to resist Russia's aggression now.

In the light of that reasoning, it is strange that the President bore down so hard on compulsory military training, and, as Senator McClellan noted, urged no expansion of our Air Force.

For anybody knows that our first line of defense, and our first means of striking back if attacked, is our Air Force and our Navy. It is our strength in these two that Russia will weigh if she aims to go all out soon for complete mastery of Europe, and domination of the world.

She knows as well as we do that the compulsory military plan would give us no immediate military power -- even if Congress reluctantly approved it. Some time would be required to pass the law, and set the system up. Then the boys would have to be trained - six months is the period mentioned. And another law would be required to induct them into service, and complete their training.

All of that might easily take a year. It certainly offers little military strength for an immediate crisis. This is expected perhaps within weeks, if it arises, and within months at the most. Washington's eyes are anxiously fixed on the Italian election, April 18, as a probable hour of decision.

It is true that the President asked for a limited draft law, to bring our military forces up to authorized strength now. But it is hard to understand why he did not ask for more air power, as a weapon of supreme importance to our security. Russia is said to have a stronger air force than our own.

Congress should give prompt attention to our air arm, and to expanding our Army to required strength. Compulsory military training can wait for a while. The crisis the President sees may be decided before this could add anything to our military strength. And Heaven help us if Russia dictates the terms.

The above was clipped from the Editorial column of the Arkansas Democrat and was clipped because we agreed with what it said and, we desired to go further with the matter than the Democrat did.

Following our editorial of several weeks ago in which we wrote of the plan of Russia "To Divide and Conquer" we had a lot of comment and it was also followed with confirmation from Washington that . . . we were right in our thinking.

The only trouble about the matter is, those in Washington fail to follow through on some of their thinking, and furthermore, fail to act quickly enough in emergencies.

We were rather taken to task lately by several people who jumped us because we advocated compulsory military training, mostly from mothers who were afraid their little "Johnnies would have to tote a gun."

Well, from our experience of six years during the last war, maybe Johnny would be a lot safer in the final outcome if he "knew how to tote a gun" properly and to take care of himself in combat rather than to be sent to his death because he did not know how. We saw men go to combat with only about seven weeks "so-called" combat training.

It has always been a known fact in military circles that it takes three years to take a man out of the "recruit" stage and make him a soldier. It might not take that long in speeded up combat training, but he needs all he can get.

We need military training for several other reasons also. The average boy doesn't know how to obey orders . . . he learns discipline in the service. He is taken away from the protecting arms of "mama" and he grows into a man. A man who can act like a man and take care of himself as a man should.

We know these things for we speak from actual experience. We have reared a family and we have seen what training has done for our boys.

Now let's be realistic. Let's not stick our head in the sand. Let's face the facts. The facts are . . if we are strong enough to knock hell out of Russia or any other country . . . there will be little likelihood of any country attacking us.