Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1900-03-27
Volunteers and Reg ulars.

There is military problem in Con-
gress. Must we have large standing
army, or can we get along without one
In the current number of the Arena two
of the members of Congress discussed
the question-Hon Jacob Rupert and
Hon e. B. Mcclellan Both are mem
bers of the committee on military
affairs. Both agree that a large army
is necessary. Rupert argues that the
national guard if properly equipped
with modern weapons will be sufficient,
but that it should be largely increased
and receive more military training, and
that all graduates of West Point not.
needed in the regular army should be
commissioned to superintend the train
ing of the national guard. Mcclellan,
on the other hand, contends that the
national guard will not do; that it can
only be relied upon to make up re-
serve or second line of defense" as he
puts it, and that a regular army is nee
essary in order to make ''frst line of
defense"
We disagree with both these men,
for we doubt the necessity or wisdom of
enlarging the national guard; but we
find fault chiefly with McClellan's idea.
His whole argument is based upon the
following assumptions
Modern wars. where modern armies
are engaged, are very soon over Should
we ever be under the unhappy necessi-
ty of going to war with any of the great
nations OF Europe, we must be able
rapidly to mobilize first line of defense
or the consequences may be fatal"
Has not Mr.. Mcclellan made Il mis-
take,-a bad one,--a curious one for a
member of Congress who has place on
the military committee, when he says,
Modern wars, where modern armies
are engaged, are soon over ~
The truth is, as every careful obser-
yer must know, that with the firearms
now provided soldiers on the defen-
sive can successfully resist ten times
their own number. Twenty thousand
Cuban patriots, during their recent war
for liberty, successfully resisted "A
modern army of more than 100, 600 for
more than two years And this 1907 600
Spanish soldiers were armed with the
best modern firearm-the Mauser rifle,
and supplied with smokeless powder,
and they were brave fighters, as will be
attested by our soldiers who fought
against them and lost something like
1000 in killed and wounded in the bat
ties preceding the investment of Santi-
ago by Gen. Shafter
Four thousand Beers, under Gen.
Cronje, at Paardeberg, repulsed every
attempt of Lord Roberts army of &C, 900
men to storm their entertainments,
though holding a'poor position. Do
these facts show that modern wars are
to be ''soon over ?" But this is not all,
for neither the CubaHs nor the Beers
were regular soldiers, while their oppo-
nents were. The fact is that with mod
ern weapons an army on the defensive,
| if it be no more than half the number of
the invading force, has very easy task
and an absolutely sure one, and its
members do not need to be trained sol
diers, but need only to be strong and
healthy and to be good marksmen.
These facts show that the converse of
Mr.. McClelan's assumption is the truth.
| Modern wars, the wars of the future,
when carried on between nations any
where near alike in strength, will be
| interminable,- can not possibly end in
the defeat of either, for one of them
must be the aggressor, and the other
will have the comparatively easy task
of detinding itself until the aggressor
quits. This indicates that in the future
war will very seldom be resorted to,
the aggressor in war being at too great
a disadvantage to leave him any hope
of success, unless his opponents dis
parity in strength is excessive, as in the
case of the war now being waged in
South Africa When the conditions of
war are such as we have now, and the
possibility of its occurrence are so
small, trained standing armies are use
less membranes The world may
not find this out at once. But little
| experience will teach it the truth, and
then the millions of Europeans who are
now supported by the people, and
whose only service is to wear uniforms
and drill, will have to find some means
of supporting themselves by industry
and those who now support them will
have better opportunity to support
themselves.
| |
| How quickly great many men get