The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-02-03


resources of our country, and thinks that
we may work out in the time of peace
volunteer system which will give us the
necessary number of officers and men
"tolerably prepared for a defensive CAM
paign in from four to six weeks time"
His plan Is as follows: lie would appor-
| ton one regiment of twelve companies,
OF 100 men each, to each congressional
district, including three territories and
the District Of Columbia or 357 In all.
This would give 433 200 men. The officers
should be commissioned and trained In
time of peace. The colonel of each regi-
ment should be an officer of the regular
army, not above the rank of major, Sc
lected from the active list for his special
fitness. Obviously he might be a native
of the district, or at least of the state,
in which his regiment is raised. He
should receive his commission from the
president, and while with his volunteer
regiment which need not be longer than
one month per year. he should have the
! local rank pay and allowance of col
onel. Officers on college duty or with
the militia, could readily take this work
in addition.
The method of procedure would be os
| lows: The first year each colonel, assist
| ed by u medical officer, would hold an
| examination for twenty-siX ieutenantS,
| to be commissioned and to hold office
| for five years. They should as soon as
selected be required to get their uniforms
and appear at the designated rendezvous
| for a ten days tour of drill and instruc-
| tion by the colonel The second year the
| colonel should hold two examinations,
| one of lieutenants over 26 years old, for
the rank of CAPTAIN. and the other for
| lieutenants to fill the vacancies in that
rank. The third year he should hold
three examinations, one Of the captains
for major, one to fill vacancies among
the captains, and one of new candidates
! for the rank of lieutenant. In the fourth
| year he should select his lieutenant col
onel from the majors. Thereafter the
examining board should consist of the
| colonel, leutenant-coloncl and major
| with the regmental surgeon as physical
| examiner only-all vacancies should be
! filled by competitive examination. The
colonel should drill and instruct the Of
| ticers, a course Of study and reading
| should be laid out for each year, and all
| the duties should be performed in ac-
| CordanCe with army regulations and ar
| ticles of war. Annual encampments of
ten days should be held, neighboring regi-
mcnts should be bri2aded, brigades should
be assigned to divisions. and large en-
campments should be formed at stated
times. All officers and men should be
under pay while in camp and going to
and from their homes. The cost of the
officers under this system for 81 regi-
ments of heavy artillery, 30 of light ar
! tillery, 45 of cavalry, and 22j of infantry
including travelling and incidental eX-
1 penSes, need not exceed $1,000 900 per year
| an insignificant sum, which might be
saved by a just revision OF the pension
list.
The system has been elaborated with
| great care, and its feasibility is sus-
tained by arguments which can hardly
/ be refuted. Obviously, in case of war
before the whole plan could be carried
into effect by devoting only one month to
| 1t yearly, 1t could be pushed forward,
| by holding all the examinations. one af-
| ter the other, till the officers for each
| regiment had been selected, when they
| could be drilled and instructed by their
| coonels, and could in turn drill and in
| struct the enlisted men. Evidently our
| military institutions, as we have Inherit
| ed them and as they now exist, must be
changed improved and made suitable to
| all our national requirements. or we shall
one of these days meet with great ma
tional disaster and humiliation. 1t will
| not do for us to depend upon our anti
quated, expensive and inefficient system,
| or lack of system, in these days of large
| standing armies and prompt mobilization.
We do not need Il large regular force.
but we surely do need such workable and
working organization as will give the
| government an effective volunteer army
capable of expansion. economic admlnis-
tration and of prompt mobilization to-
| ward any frontier or section of the
seacoast which may be threatened by a
| frst-class power; and the sooner the
| necessary steps are taken to provide for
such an army the better 1t will be for the
nation.