The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-02-03
Aiucchus' Advice.
Need Of Better
National Defense
From the New York Sun.

III all adopted the levce en- masse and
the COnscription as Il part of their
Iii military system. Every sound man
within the military age, say be-
between eighteen and forty-fve, has
his place in the system of defense
and is to serve according to
age in the active or standing army or in
the reserves when they are called out.
1t is said that every French citizen of the
military age, no matter where he is in
the world has at home his company, his
gun and his uniform; that his address Is
known to the war department, and that
within twenty-four hours after a decla-
ration of war he would receive his sum-
mons and be on his way to his appointed
rendezvous. France, Germany and Rus
sia maintain enormous standing armies
and are at all times ready to mobilize
them on the shortest possible notice; and
while the first corps are advancing, the
reserves are called out and got ready
10 follow. Great Britain maintains but
small standing army. and depends mainly
upon volunteers when she needs an in
crease of force. We have modelled our
military system upon hers, with all it's
costly imperfeCtiOns, and while we have
30 far been fairly able to defend our
territory and maintain the Union, it has
been at an enormous expense of men and
money, accompanied by humiliation and
defeat in the earlier stages of all our
wars except that with Mexico. ana fol-
lowed by a system of pensions the most
eNtravagant the world has ever known.
O.
The last number of the Journal OF the
Military Service Institution contains IL
prize essay on "Our Volunteer Armies"
by Lieutenant 5. NJ. Foote, of the Fourth
artillery, which shows not only the most
careful study, but constructive states
manship of a high order He traces our
their AnglO-SaXOn source through the
French and Indian wars the Revolution,
the war of 1872. the Mexican war; and the
war of the rebellion, pointing out with
care the condition of the country, the
size of the continental, volunteer and
regular armies, and the character and
cost of our military operations at each
period of our history. His description
of the civil war, while necessarily much
condensed, is full OF interest. He shows
that our patriotism was almost without
fault and as high as We have any right
to expect it ever to be; that our militia
laws We're neglected and inefficient our
regular army too small and too widely
scattered; and that we We're forced TO
depend at first entirely on volunteering,
stimulated by high bOunties, and after
ward supplemented by Conscription. lie
points out that with good men and ma
terials in abundance, our great want
from the start was for Instructed and
competent officers" to teach the men to
drill and use their arms, and that If we
would prepare the country against mis-
fortune and wasteful expense hereafter
we must provide in time of peace n
number of capable officers of volunteers
sufficiently large to raise and train al
the volunteers we shall need at the first
call" remembering always that "at last
the man who holds the gun is the man
who fights the battle"
Our great problem, therefore. is to call
out organize, and get into position with
in the shortest possible time enough men
with guns in their hands, and fairly well
drilled, to meet any enemy who can land
upon our shores or cross our borders.
Without following the details of Lieu
tenant Foote'S statements he shows that,
in case of war with Great Britain, we
should have to fight both her and Canada,
in which event We should require 100 900
more men to defend the country than we
should require as against any other first
class power lie points out that it ia
fully within the resources of such DOW
er under cover of its fleet to land an
army from 200 to Co. 900 strong in any of
our unfortfied harbors, Inasmuch as any
power intending to make an invasion of
our country would be free to select that
part of our extended scacoast which ap-
and the least risk for the time being,
and as 1t is now pretty well settled that
such a force could be mobiliZed, en-
barked, transported across the Atlantic
and landed within four or at most five
weeks after the declaration of war Eve
should require an army of at least lO0,-
900 volunteers to prevent their advance,
and certainly POO, 900 to dislodge them be-
fore they could be reinforced" He esti-
mates therefore that we should need
about $4,000 volunteers for fortifcations,
Is 900 volunteers for an army of obserVa-
tion for the North Atlantic coast, 75 900
volunteers for an army of observation
for the Middle Atlantic coast, 5000 vol
unteers for an army of observation for
the South Atlantic coast, 49, 900 volunteers
for an army of observation for the Gulf
coast, and 10000 volunteers for an army
Of observation for the Pacific coast; to-
tai 100000" .....
Such an army would require from 20, 900
to 25,OOO officers, Where and how could
they be obtained? Certainly not from
the regular army unless every man in
1t, as now allowed by law, were compe-
tent to become a commissioned officer,
and were already assigned his place and
rank in regiment of volunteers. While
We agree with the late General Kautz
that the regular army might be so or
ganized, recruited, ana instructed as to
furnish all the officers required nothing
Is more certain than that the present
laws do not provide for or permit any
such use of it, Hence some other plan
must be devised to furnish the officers
needed to organize, instruct. and COM
mand the men that are to hold the guns
in the next great war.
Lieutenant Foote regards the solu-
ton of the problem as fully within the