Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-11-30
NATIONAL MILITIA RESERVE
FACTS SET FORTH by LIEUTENANT
COMMANDER SWITZERLAND
Favors the Provisions Of the House
Bil-Plan for Second Line of
Defense.

| Lieutenant Commander w. II. H South
erland, the officer in charge of the naval
militia, has made a special report to the
Navy Department upon the operations of
| that organization during the past year.
| Twenty states are shown to have an or
ganized naval militia. comprising in all
! 567 officers and 5,}e9 petty officers and en-
listed men. The naval appropriation act
allotted the sum of $4,000 for the militia,
! S57 900 Of which has been distributed among
the twenty state organization The Navy
Department assigned two vessels for the
practice cruises of the militia in the shape
| of the Prairie on the Atlantic coast and
the Michigan on the great lakes Through
lack of facilities a vessel for the Pacific
| seaboard was not assigned. Contingents
| from Louisiana Georgia, Pennsylvania,
| New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island
| and Maine took short cruises of about a
| weeks duration on the Prairie and the or
| CARNATIONS of Ohio Michigan and Illinois
made practice trips on the lakes aboard
| the Michigan. These cruises developed a
! officers and a like efficiency, together with a
high state of discipline, among the enlist
| ed men.
| Need of Naval Reserve.
Lieutenant Commander Switzerland sets
| forth an array of facts to make obvious
the absolute necessity Of a national naval
reserve, in addition to the present militia
| organizations, and calls particular atten-
ton to the fact that this proposed innova-
ton is not suggested with any view what
| ever Of dispiacing the present naval mill
tia. The general government of the tnitel
States, says Commander Switzerland, has
! no directive control whatever in naval mi
lftia matters. They state organiZa-
tions pure and simple, organized under
CT lax l. hat yh<.x
of war no member is under any obligation
to answer call of the President for any
naval service.
Discussing the necessity for a naval re-
serve Commander Switzerland says:
| The conditions which prevailed before
and during the late Spanish-American wal
| may not face us the next time, and 1t IS
probable that We may then have first-rate
naval power as foe. 1t should not be
considered even possible that we will ever
! again wait until war is declared to send out
| regular officers TO hold examinations for
volunteer commissions in the navy. In fact,
the services of every regular officer will be
needed at in the emergency of actual
war, in conseIue nee of which all plans for
| the second line Of defense the coast signal
service, ETC. should be made now and in
such manner as to enable them to be put In
ope ration without delay.
To be able to effect the necessary sudden
expansion of the personnel upon the out
break of / believe the provisions of
| all present requirements.
1T recognizes the fact that busy people
like our own CsDno: give up valuable time
gratuitously. by making provision for prop
er compensation. The fact that the season
of inst ruction is left to the discretion of the
civilian Secretary of the Navy makes 1t
clear that he will endeavor to select the
time of leass work for each locality.
1T is almost needless say that ii will
be to the manifest interest Of the Navy
Department to carry out the provisions OF
| this or any similar bill in such manner as
to attract that element which will be need
ed to help man our battle ships, cruisers
and gunboats, and to fight their guns.
1T is recognized that the keen competi-
ton and constant struggle for advancement
and gain in civil life will not always per-
nit the national naval reserve officer to
take the period of drill with the organiza-
ton of his locality, but the provisions of the
| bill put it within the power or the Secre-
| tary of the Navy to detail such officers to
anv naval vessel in commission for the re-
qured tour of duty at any time during the
| year.
"The status of the national reserve Of
flcer is we'll defined. He holds Il commits
sion signed by the President. his name is
borne on the navy register and he should
| feel honored to belong to body which 1s
simply an extension Of the regular navy.
| 1.-The Navy Department should find no
| difficulty in carrying out the details Of the
proposed law general explanation of
| which will be found in the report of the
assistant secretary Oh tllt navy 1Ol ISoc
Object of the Reserve.
at must be understood that the sole OBJ
ject of the LIST Naval Reserve provided for
in the bill will be the manning of the fleet
1.-The tour of duty is placed at the mini
mum time the vessels in commission will
have to be employed on this service. as it
will be impossible. for many years to come,
| to spare vessels for any other than regular
oan ar,lic fa fnrn
| for any other than actual service afloat
Under the provisions Of this bill it is in the
| power of the Secretary of the Navy to
| detail a naval reserve officer for a longer
period of duty board ship than two
| weeks if the officer so desires.
| ''In any scheme for the organization OF
national naval reserve all government depart
| mental bodies cannot be considered. This
| is especially true of the employees of the
| lighthouse and life-saving services, 1t be-
ing impossible to believe that the govern
ment would permit the breaking up of es-
| Establishments absolutely necessary to the
safety of commerce In time OF war as well
| as in times of peace and so we'll qualified
| in every way to take a prominent part in
any scheme for coast signal service.
| State organization has been recommend
| ed, although any other kind of geograph
ical form of district will do as well. pro-
| vided the privilege of enrolment Is COM
mon to all sections of the country.
1.-The history of our National Guard is
| conclusive in showing that a form of mill
| tary organization is always popular.
| Provision is made for the overflow from
| the first reserve. Those who become eligi-
BILE to the second reserve, and who for
| good reasons cannot go to the front in time
| of war can be utilized by the department
on many kinds of special duty in which
| they can feel they are doing their share for
| the country.
THE men who enter this reserve do so
with one principal object in view-that of
| fighting for their country in time of need.
| They volunteer for this duty, and become
| the nations volunteers in the truest sense.
| 1.-The annual tour of duty will bring
seafarng class to a knowledge of what
naval life actually is. and will thus widen
| the navys field for enlistments.''
| CUBAN CUSTOMS RECEIPTS