The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-02-19
PEACEFUL PREPARATION FOR WAR

! forces today is 112,63i The male popuIa-
ton Of the United States capable of bear
ing arms within the military age exceeds
| 10000.
| New York leads the column OF organ
lied state military forces with 1889. fol.
lowed by Pennsylvania with 500. Next
| comes South Carolina with 5,G16, followed
! by Massachusetts, with SSH and Ohio
/ with 1913. Then comes Georgia with
| Asst, and next come Illinois with 1850,
| New Jersey with 233 and California with
| AIS. Texas has an aggregate Of 8, 1853 Off
| GERS and men; then comes Alabama with
| 1858. Virginia with 2,s4. Connecticut
with 1851, Wisconsin with 2,637, Michigan
with 2,5l5. The District of Columbia sup
ports 1,41s troops; Maryland, 1904, and
the great and populous state Of Missouri
but 1881 Oregon reports 1906; Wash
ington, loo; Rhode Island, I.434, while
Tennessee, with five times the population
Of Rhode Island. has but 1857.
The organized military forces Of many
Of the states show signs of healthy growth
both in numbers and efficiency. With
adequate appropriations by congress these
organized state military forces might be
still further increased and raised to a
higher standard Of military usefulness.
The essential thing in the training Of
our National Guards has been pointed out
by General A. V. Kautz, late commander
of the department Of the Columbia. when
he says that the largest part of drill tactics
has today no practical application TO
actual warfare. We quote as follows:
When battles were won By the shock of com.
pact bodies Of men from three TO six ranks
deep, drill was an important factor In main
tanning compact formations. Now, to conduct
a compact formation, even at the regulation
route-step, within range OF the improved long
range arms would &c fatal. Compact forms-
tions are iustihable only beyond range for the
comfort Of the men and to economic spsce
Then why should we on this side waste so
much time on the ainutiae OF complicated drill
tactics. repeating, from one year to another,
what a soldier IS able 70 acquire in few weeks
as well as he ever Can, when, as will be shown
hereafter, he might be so much better en-.
ployed? All we need or use OF dtill in actual
war Is to pass from column into line and from
line into column By the simp.es possible
methods.
During our great civil war nothing but
the simplest drill tactics was ever en-
ployed on the march and in the battle
field. General Kautz would utilize our
present little regular army by making
every military post a military school, for
which the graduates of the academy
would be the proper instructors, and
could educate the enlisted man to that
degree which would qualify him to serve
as an officer in the event of war. To
this end the age OF enlistment should not
be over twenty-one years, and re-enlist-
ment should be exceptional.
General Kautz rightly holds that the
rank and file should be young men always
and the subaltern officers should also
be men in the flower of youth. The re-
cruits Tor the regular army, General Kautz
thinks, should be selected pro rata from
all portions of the Union, so that on their
return to civil life they would help pro-
vide for the dissemination of military
knowledge all over the country. By thus
raising the social status of the enlisted
man we would exclude from the regular
army the element which furnishes the de-
serters, the gamblers and the drunkards
who in time of peace have cast so much
discredit on the army as to repel the re-
spectacle youth of the country
from enlistment The promise of a
military education to the voune
soldier at the expense of the government
would keep the army filled with excellent
material Our army is limited TO 1000
men. Under the plan of General Kautz
If the recruits were selected from the diff
ferent sections of the Union pro rata
fifteen from each congressional district
annually would keep the army full. and at
the end OF five years they would return in
the same proportion 10 the districts which
sent them, and after the system was fully
established. it would supply every five
years. seventy-ive young men graduates
from the army instructed in all the duties
necessary, from wnich the officers could
be selected 10 supply the quota that would
be called into service from the district in
the event Of war.
With this multiplication of educated
soldies throughout the country. our raw
leyies could be quickly utilized and made
effective to meet an emergency. To carry
out these eminently practical views of
General kautz nothing more is required
than u resolution of congress TO the effect
that the army in time of peace shall be
conducted as an educational establish
ment, for the purpose of preparing officers
and instructors IN military duties. and to
disseminate military knowledge through
out the entire Union. so that every section
may have means OF defense in any cmer.
| gency. The enlistment laws should be
amended 50 that the recruits would be
obtained from the various sections in pro-
portion 70 the population, aud only Young
men under p years Of age should lie enlisted.
Had the system been adopted ten years
ago every section of the Union would 10.
day be supplied with = sufficient number
Of army graduates TO officer and prepare
for the field any number of volunteers that
would be likely to be called for or required
in any emergency.
In any event these army. graduates
would be invaluable as instructors for the
National Guard organizations, and would
increase the growth Of that military spirit
without which We are defenseless nation
a grest unwieliy ship, carrying a rich
cargo, but withou; gunners. or naval engi-
neers. or daring and skillfuI navigators.
or the members Of the present hoard 81
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