Federal Aid Advocated as a Method for National Defense (Part 2)

Federal Aid Advocated as a Method for National Defense

Continued from Last Issue Let us stop for a moment and see if we can analyze the possible viewpoint and feeling of the big interests in the east, which more or less control the politicians of that section of the country as to this so-called subsidizing the states as to highways.

First, they have that feeling that they are snugly tucked away in the best, most intensely improved and best protected part of the United States, which no doubt they are under ordinary circumstances, but I am going to show later that they are not so safely or snugly tucked away as they might think.

Second they are making money and did they not during the last war make millions that they would not have made if there had been no war, or rather if the United States had been prepared for war, so why worry about getting ready for war by building highways out in those far western states, which by the way is the source of raw material that has made millions for many of these anti-federal aid propangandists from the east, not visualizing the fact that the next war may be brought right into their supposedly safe and supposedly snug, well-protected locations, if an enemy should break through a line of defense in these far western states. Not being able to visualize that a protective works in the western part of the United States would probably save them from annihilation by an enemy approaching from the west the possibilities of which I will try to point out.

Third with the millions of state money that is available from state sources in these larger eastern states, the few millions derived from this source of Federal Aid is hardly an appreciable amount, one that can easily be dispensed with, getting rid of the government inspection and supervision that it entails, without being felt by the individual or corporation in taxes necessary to replace this amount given up. Now, let me try to show these men or group of men the possibility of war being brought home to them and that Federal Aid in highway building is the best investment that can be made as a safety or preparedness measure,

CAUSES OF CONFLICT

By W. R. HUTCHINS District Engineer There are three most usual causes of war.

First. Religion, which has caused more wars, than all other causes combined.

Second. Territory expansion, either for an overpopulated country or a curtailed trade of export or import products.

Third. The egotistical craving for world power by the individual or minority group in direct control of a country.

Then let us look at a map of the United States and try to analyze the possible source of our next war, and to see where the possibilities lie or the direction from which it will come, and the feasible way to combat it.

The United States is bounded on the north by Canada, an English speaking colony of Great Britain; on the east by the Atlantic ocean, some four thousand miles from continental Europe; on the south by the Gulf of Mexico, and Mexico; on the west by the Pacific ocean, some few thousand miles from Japan, China, India, Russia and Siberia.

Now let us eliminate the first named factor causing war, "Religion," for although religion has been the cause of more wars than any other factor up to date within our known history, I do not believe religion will ever be the cause of another major conflict. It may cause some internal or minor conflict, but nothing of the magnitude of a major conflict.

A war from the north is farther remote than from any other locality by an analysis of the above three fundamental factors which tend to cause war, for I do not believe that the English speaking races will ever stage another major conflict as enemies of each other. A colony may break away from the home rule of Great Britain, but this will be more or less of a family scrap compared to a major conflict.

Across the Atlantic ocean we are faced again by the English speaking Great Britain which has been eliminated. Also by continental Europe which was the seat of the last major conflict, caused by the third of the above named factors that cause war. For the Kaiser of Germany and his Imperialistic follower who coveted this world power have been defeated, and the countries that were copartners in this conflict are more or less policed as well as bankrupt today, and it will be hundreds of years before strength, financial and political, can be gathered by these several countries of different customs and creeds and languages, cach with their own internal troubles, to cause another major conflict. They may have wars, so-called, amongst themselves which will be more or less family affairs.

That portion of the United States bounded by the Gulf of Mexico and possibly the extreme eastern part of Mexico is fairly safe from intrusion by an enemy, especially with friendly and sparsely settled South America, and some of the smali isthmus countries south of us, and although Mexico is a small weak country, and friendly today, it is an open country, and an excellent possible base for enemy operations.

FROM WEST AND SOUTH

Then our next major conflict must come from the west and south, and southeast, caused by the second of the three named factors causing war.

We have heard of the "Yellow Peril" for years, but I shall not call in the "Yellow Peril," for this is rather a hackneyed expression. But to look at the map again and one finds Japan, China, India and Russia especially Siberia, with more than nine hundred million population, mostly oriental origin, with Japan as the leader in civilization and modernity, as to living as well as fighting.

THE ASIATIC MENACE

Compare these teeming nine hundred millions with our one hundred and fifteen millions, with Japan, hard put for sufficient area to take proper care of her own population; the uncontrollable millions of India, if they were not kept in ignorance; the teeming millions that make up China, a giant long asleep, but who at the present time is turning over, groaning and waking up; the millions of Siberia and other part of Russia, as hardy a race as ever lived, withstanding their hardships as no other race could, whose lot cannot be made worse and who would be better off fighting, properly clothed and property fed than they are now under their present conditions. When these

Page Sixteen ARIZONA HIGHWAYS April, 1927

Forces reak loose, England, Continental Europe and America will de compelled to fight for their existence.

If promised not to call the above the "Yellow Peril," but will call it the "Asiatic Menace," a name coined and brought rather close to home to us who live in the extreme scuthwest part of the United States A named coined and used in the controversy over the development of the Colorado River by the ve: states whose drainage goes to make up the Colorado River.

The water of the Colorado River after running through seven western states, goes through a desert country in Mexico, and thence into the Gulf of California. This country although a desert now, only needs water for irrigation to make it a garden spot, and this is the originating point of this Asiatic Menace for it is here that thousands of acres of this desert land has already been brought under cultivation by using these waters of the Colorado River for irrigation. By whom is this cultivation being done? Who are owners of these thousands of acres of fertile land? The Mexican people? No. It will be found that the great majority of the farmers and landowners are Japanese and Chinese. If the present acreage was the limit of this expansion there would be no Asiatic Menace at this point, but this acreage is expanding, the Japanese and Chinese population of this district is growing by thousands, and unless the United States negotiates some treaty with Mexico regarding curtailing the use of those waters of the Colorado River in Mexico by these thousands of Japanese and Chinese, thus saving the rights of these waters for further use in the United States, there is no limit to the Asiatic colony that will in time be established south of the United Sates in his part of Mexico. And once this water is in actual use in Mexico, satisfying the laws of Mexico, it will be well nigh impossible for the United States arbitrarily to dry up these thousands of acrs in Mexico at some future date by a desire to store and use these waters within the United States. This I think shows the possibility of an Asiatic Menace, and although this is commercial or peace time menace, it can easily grow and develop into a war time menace, for Mexico has no strict laws governing the influx of those Asiatics so long as they comply with the national and local laws governing Mexico.

One may say that we have heard of this possible peril or menace for years, and since nothing has ever come to pass to even threaten to fulfill this prophecy, it is beginning to be considered a ghost or bogie man. This menace up to the present has been a bogie man, for with the thousands of miles of water that had to be traversed by slow moving ships, and our large and long range guns guarding our coast line, these peoples realized that an offensive enemy had actually to land and move their fighting equipment by land forces, and by land movements, made an invasion very nearly an impossibility.

But the advent of the airplane, the dirigible carrying airplanes and the well balanced mother ship carrying airships, with the battleships and cruisers, used merely as bases for airships, depending not upon their armament for protection, but rather depending upon the airplane for defensive as well as for offensive movements. This in conjunction with the death dealing poison gas bombs, a light load to carry, allowing, as it does, a wider range for the flying airplane, has not only made the "Asiatic Menace" a possibility but a probability.

A large battleship or cruiser is rather an unwieldy weapon with which to combat the wasp-like airplane. The submerging power of the submarine may be the means of saving itself from the airplane, although a depth bomb dropped from above will reach the submarine at most any depth to which it could submerge.

USE OF POISON GASES

During the last world war conflict it took thousands of shots to kill one man, but a mantle of gas, spread over a city of thousands in a very short time by one or two airplanes, penetrating as it does any place where there is air to breathe, will curl up in the agony of death the entire population, and those few who survive will be hopeless cripples as harmless alive as dead.

And as has been said before, it is the suddenness of the possibilities of the above, coming into being in so few years, as compared with our civilization, has made these possibilities well nigh unconceivable by the general run of humanity, and even by those chosen as leaders.

It is not modesty, or a treaty or international law that is holding off this attack. It is the fear, or rather the knowledge, of the impossibility of the achievement of attacking the United States with success or victory. And you may rest assured that Japan, the leader of these millions, would start the attack tomorrow or the next day, if those in power thought for a momentthat a chance of victory was at hand. The many thousands of miles of water separating their home base from the United States and the slow movements of ships at sea, has been for us an unsurmountable wall of protection, but the airplane and dirigible cutting this intervening space down to a very small distance is opening up the possible chance that has long been denied them. And the attack, when it does come, will be sudden, for upon suddenness depends its success.

Let us glance at our coast line defense for a moment, and it will be seen that the largest items are the enormous guns, mounted on revolving bases, shooting an enormous sixteen inch shell a distance of some thirty miles. But there is no defense along our southern boundary with Mexico. Although the long range guns of the coast guard furnish an excellent means of stopping an enemy approaching by vessel, after this vessel has fought its way past our defensive fleet far out at sea, they are rather an awkward means of defense against an airplane, shooting as these guns do a shell weighing very nearly as much as the airplane itself. And furthermore, the enemy in the next major conflict will not try to get as close as thirty miles to our shore line before starting the attack. Yet we are still spending millions of dollars building these enormous guns that will become obsolete in the first engagement in a major conflict. We have not as yet awakened to the fact that this type of machinery has become obsolete already, and possibly we will not realize this until it is perhaps too late to save ourselves from a near annihilation as a nation.

Another look at a map of the United States which shows the railroads and also the highways, will show that the portion of the United States lying east of the Mississippi River and even for a few hundred miles west of the river is very thickly covered by an interlocking system of railroads and highways, making this whole territory easily accessible either by railroads or highway. But as we move westward it is found that the country is not only sparsely populated, but the scarcity of railroads and highways is very noticeable, with almost unsurmountable barriers such as the deep impregnable canon of thie Colorado and other rivers, with the many high ranges of the Rocky Mountains, and the large area of waterless and treeless desert country. Either it will necessitate railroads or

April, 1927

highways highly improved to make trav-eling or land troop movements pos-sible between the areas separated by these barriers, the immensity of which cannot be visualized or realized unless actually seen.

SECONDARY LINE NECESSARY

Although our earliest wars taught us the sensibility of having a line of re-inforcements, not only of men and arms but also of food and supplies, some miles back from the fighting front to use and call upon in case of a possible retreat, the late world war or last major conflict with its highly developed trench warfare forced this conclusion more than ever upon, not only the minds of the civilian, but also upon the minds of the military leaders; that a series of battle fronts was necessary, each built, not as a makeshift, but brought to the highest point of completion, always with not only the possi-bility of use but the immediate proba-bility of use.

By what means were these lines of trenches, bases and fortifications built and kept up? By the roads and rail-roads already constructed and by the good roads and railroads that were con-structed by the army after the actual fighting started, the latter construction of course entailing an enormous loss, financial as well as physical.

You possibly have read of the many things that won the war, but have never seen the highways and railroads given full credit. But if France had not had the highways already construct-ed when the first drive was made upon Paris, the war would not have lasted very long, but the victors would not have been the Allies.

Even in the remote past, highways have been considered as of prime importance as a military factor, for today we can still see the military highways of the Romans in a very good state of repair, considering the length of time they have been built, and it was this factor of highways that alowed the Romans to become world conquerers. Later they lost this power solely from the intoxication that comes with too much power and love of pleasure, let-ting up as they did on their military training and preparedness, and falling into a state of easy living, with rather a false conception of their strength based upon their one time supremacy, not realizing that to hold this suprem-acy it was necessary to keep up this training and preparedness at all times.

Then if this enemy coming from the west does break through our Pacific

ARIZONA HIGHWAYS

Coast defenses and through from Mexico from the south, where we have no defenses, there will be very little chance of stopping him west of the Mississippi River on account of the scarcity of roads and railroads together with the topography of the country as already outlined. And it is a possibility that this break could be made through the west coast defenses by the use of poisonous gas, killing men, women and children, without injuring or destroying to any great extent the highly developed property along our western coast. And remember it is only a few hours by airplane from the Mississippi River to the eastern sea coast, and if there were not defenses already in place, it would be rather hard in so short a time, even with the network of railroads and highways already in place, to throw up a defense that could stop this invading enemy. Now is the time to use this network of railroads and highways and to extend this network to the west coast, and if not both, at least enough of the highway system to be economically sufficient for adequate military usage.

What is the answer to the above as regards to Federal Aid? The core of the answer, of course, is airplanes with well-developed airplane bases, not only along the coast and southern boundary but in successive lines extending entirely across the United States. In the next major conflict, airplanes are going to be the army, airplanes are going to be the navy. In other words, the war will be fought first in the air And to use airplanes, airplane bases and pilots are essential. We trained soldiers in a few weeks during the last war and sent them into battle, as soldiers, but you cannot train an airplane pilot within a few weeks and send him into battle with any degree of success. We can today turn out airplanes by the thousands upon very short notice, but without pilots and without bases, these airplanes by thousands would do us very little good, and we cannot build bases with any degree of success unless we have ways and means of getting to the sites of these several bases with adequate material, not only to build these bases but also to serve them.

But these bases must be served in peace as well as quickly in war, and scattered as they must be along thousands of miles of thinly populated arid, desert country along our southern boundary with Mexico, and also within the thinly populated and arid interior

Page Seventeen

desert country, impossible at the present time for land movements from the west coast to the Mississippi River. For although airplanes can now fly over this country and back to the few bases we now have, it would be necessary to construct landing fields and bases in this now impregnable country before airplanes could be figured as a factor of general protection. To construct these bases machinery and supplies are necessary, and at the present time it is very nearly an impossibility to transport these required materials to these necessary bases, scattered as they must be throughout the thousands of miles of country unserved by either railroads or roads. It is rather impracticable under the present day conditions to construct railroads to these several locations on account of the cost and small amount of use and large upkeep cost. Then it is a question of building roads, not trails into these several locations.

BOUNDARY ROAD NEEDED

As a suggestion, it can be seen at a glance that a road should be built along the entire southern boundary of the United States and Mexico, paralleled by roads at least five - across the United States, north to the Canadian boundary, spaced most strategically, and connected by roads running north and south at least every hundred miles, and not every four or five hundred miles as they are now in some cases. The above is being carried out to-day more or less by the seven per cen! system of Federal Aid Roads, but the development depending as it does up-on the finances of the several states is entirely too slow for actual safety, and the system for the best military ad-vantages is more or less lost sight of by trying to serve the several small political subdivisions commercial-ly which rather distorts the scheme as would be needed for a strictly mili-tary system of highways.

The usual six inch slab pavement as now being built in most of the western country, laid as they are upon a mis-cellaneous type of subgrade, would have to be increased and laid upon a subgrade built to stand the most se-vere specifications for stability. For it has been proven that the present type of road being built now will not stand the heavy traffic of military man-euvers. The sparsely settled states with areas as large as two or three of some of the eastern states, and a population

Page Eighteen April, 1927

Sometimes of only a small percentage of that of the smallest eastern states, and with the United States government owning a large portion of this total area, these states can not and should not be expected even to help finance this military system of highways. The military system must and should be fi-nanced and built by the Federal Gov-ernment with federal money for fed-eral protection of the entire nation. One may say that this would cost an enormous sum of money and with taxes so high now that to raise them would be mode suicidal than war. Prob-ably true. But I am going to tell you where or rather how the required amount of money can be raised and not increase any taxes.

This brings up the rather delicate question of Prohibition; if the United States today were to legalize the sale and use of liquor, with a federal tax of five to ten dollars a gallon, sufficient money could be saved and raised to build the entire system of highways. build an adequate supply of airplanes, dirigibles and accessories, an adequate number of bases, adequately serviced and supplied, guarrantying as it would the United States adequate protection against any possible invasion, and all of this without increasing taxes one cent. This would be a tax but it would be optional with the individual as to whether he or she should participate in this scheme of paying the tax. It would be a tax that corporations, part-nerships or individuals would not have to pay unless they felt so inclined. Truly the ideal tax. An "optional with the individual" tax. Raising an unte lievable sum of money, giving an abso-lute guarantee of protection. And not only serving the whole United States as a military necessity, but opening up a vast country for settlement and oc-cupation and development as to com-mercial activity, that under the pres ent system of development would not only take hundreds of years, but would necessitate these parts of the United States to go through years of poverty and hardships that would not be over-come for many generations.

You may say that we will have the same or better advantages to overcome this lack of roads and railroads through this impossible country than an invad-ing enemy. But we have not, for an unprepared defensive is always at a disadvantage when coping with a pre-pared offensive. A prepared offensive will come ready to overcome this diffi-culty. Yes, we can be prepared with-out building possibly any of these roads, but it will cost us billions of dol-lars more and will be billions of dollars less beneficial commercialy to the country as a whole than by the system worked out by the construction of these roads. France was at an unprepared defensive disadvantage against the pre-pared offensive advantage of the Ger mans, at the drive upon Paris. What saved Paris? Good roads, nothing else.

ARIZONA HIGHWAYS

Then in my opinion the slogan of the United States as a whole should be "Millions for a defensive military preparedness program, but not a dollar for an offensive military preparedness program." For there is a great difference between the two. State lines should be disregarded, and state financing should be disregarded. It is a federal job for federal money, building a federal system of highways. It is true that to one state may accrue a little economic advantage for a few years from this program of road building, but the future would balance these advantages as to states.(Continued from page 13) Dam bridge is now open to all traffic. Casa Grande to Picacho fair. This road is very slow during muddy weather. Picacho to Tucson through Red Rock good gravel surfaced highway. Total length State Route 87, 126 miles.

CONDITION OF ROADS ON ARIZONA STATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM TOPOCK TO LUPTON

U. S. Route No. 66 The National Old Trails Highway on U. S. Route 66 enters Arizona from New Mexico at Lupton; leaving the state at Topock, crossing the Colorado river into California. From Lupton to Holbrook very good, length 76 miles. Holbrook to Winslow, gravel surfaced. excellent, length 32 miles.

Winslow to 10 miles east of Canyon Diablo, excellent. From point 10 miles east of Canyon Diablo to Flagstaff, a total distance of 45 miles; parts of this road under construction. With the exception of a few short detours, excellent time can be made over this stretch.

As the route traverses the high country near Flagstaff, it is subject to frequent rains or snows, and mud chains should be carried at all times. Distance from Flagstaff to Williams 35 miles. Road fair to excellent. From point 19 miles west of Flagstaff to Williams narrow. Road 16 feet wide. From Williams you drop down 1700 feet to Ash Fork, where U. S. Route 89 connects with this Route. Condition of road from fair to good, with some rough spots. Distance 19 miles.

Ash Fork-Kingman, distance 116 miles: condition good to excellent. During wet weather the first ten miles east of Seligman, which is unsurfaced, gets rough and slippery; from Cheno Point west of Seligman to Pica, crossing Audley valley is unsurfaced, about ten miles of this gets slippery during wet weather; during extreme dry weather Hualpad valley, east of Kingman, gets chucky and rough where not surfaced.

Kingman-Topock, distance 54 miles; condition from Kingman to foot of mountain, about sixteen miles, good to excellent; from foot of mountain to Oatman, 12 miles of mountain road with steep grades and sharp curves; surface excellent but second gear should be used in going down hill; from Oatman to Topock, first three miles narrow, only partly graded, fair surface; next 22 miles gravel surface, fair condition with surface loose in places and some oversize and loose material. Driving time Ash Fork to Arizona-California State Line, 4½ hours. Total length U. S. Route 66, 391.27 miles.

STATE LINE-SPRINGERVILLEHOLBROOK

U. S. Route No. 70 Entering Arizona at point 15 miles east of Springerville, via Springerville to St. Johns, distance 29.7 miles. St. Johns to Concho a distance of 16 miles. From Concho to Holbrook 51.4 miles. connecting with U. S. Route 66.

The portion of road from State Line to Springerville unimproved. Fair to good in dry weather. Muddy in wet weather, but never impassable. From Springerville to Holbrook road in excellent condition.

Total length 112.08 miles.

THE ENGINEER'S LOG

(Continued from page 14) Bitulithic macadam. Contractors Downer and Mero. Total project 75 per cent completed. Work has been stopped until next spring due to cold weather. Canon Padre Canon Diablo, length 12.7 mile. Federal Aid No. 81, type of construction natural surfacing. Contractors Whiting Bros., Tanner and Turley of St. Johns. 94 per cent complete.

THE STATUS OF OTHER FEDERAL AID PROJECTS

Federal Aid No. 78-B, bridge over