The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1904-03-18
ROOT AND THE MILITIA.

Secretary Root in his annual report
speaks highly of the Hawaiian Nation
al Guard, and takes a somewhat differ
ent view OF 1t, from what Is taken here
should be exercised in arms and should
know something of the art Of war Is
sound. A country ought to have It's
citizens ready at any time to be en-
rolled In volunteer organizations.-Star
1t Is the business of Secretary OF
War to encourage the military spirit
and to get as many people under arms
as possible. on the other hand 1t Is
the business of the taxpayers to decide
how many and what kind of soldiers
they wish to support. For a century
the war Department and the taxpay-
ers have been at odds on this point but
as a general thing the taxpayers have
had their way. After 1877 up to the
time of the Spanish war; they kept
the Regular Army down to about $4,000
men; since then they have permitted
a considerable Increase for insular pur-
poses, though retaining the Anglo
Saxon prejudice against a large stand
ing army. AS a rule the American
people are resting their hope of safety
upon a large navy rather than large
army.
In the matter of militia the tendency
has been to cut down the active force,
a policy which the failure of the mill
tia in 1898 has accelerated, despite the
contrary wishes of the War Depart
ment.
Locally the question is not one Of
defence but of cost No one seriously
believes that, If Hawaii was menaced,
its Inhabitants, in and out of the mill
tia, could do much to defend the coun-
try. The safety of Hawaii is in navy
as the first line of defence and in for
tifcations, with regulars behind the
big guns, as n second line. If these
fail the militia might as well take to
the woods. 1t has neither the resour-
ces, the training nor the numbers to
make it formidable. The Secretary or
War may think differently and If SO
the people of Hawaii would cordially
second any proposal he might make
to have the United States take the
local force in hand and build it up at
Federal expense All they object to
is the scheme for meeting large costs
of coast defence here out of their own
pockets. What revenues our coasts
yield go to Washington; let some of
those revenues or all of them come
back for military purposes, II you
please. But to surrender the coast
revenues and then take on a part of
the expense of defending the coast, Is
not considered good business policy
here, especially when our contribution
to defence could have so little practical
value.
OF the wisdom of the volunteer sys-
TEN, in cases where regulars are to be
opposed. opinions differ; but one thing
is certain: The militia never has con-
tributed much to the success of vol
unteer establishment. II is chiefly
Joke. In the Civil War it cut almost
as poor Il figure as it did in the War OF
1872: and in the war of 1898 1t was
eliminated from the issue as soon and
as far as possible. 1t is the present
view of professional soldiers that the
best way to use volunteers Is to mix
them in with regulars; and that the
young, patriotic citizen, with all to
learn, becomes a good campaigner
sooner than the militiaman who has
his habits of lax discipline and easy
work to unlearn.