New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-08-29
TO SHOW CO-OPER4TION
md MILITIA And THE
MILITARY POWER


d larger view of military operations of the COM
olned arms of service and learn the part which
each must play in actual battle
Last year, although the chief Joint mill
I~ry hlah9uvres were conducted on the Fort
i-iiey reservation, which contains about 2OOpO
e. on account Of the limited area tactical ex-
O-Ses received almost sole attention IN place
OF the contemplated strategtcaI problen1s
winch had to be abandoned General Bates
'erward reported that he doubted if more than
Ao'ooo troops could ever be advantageous!y con-
cehCrated there for military purposes and rec
commended that the War Department should
look ahead to the time when two bod,as o4
men, each representing army corps OF $4,000
OF 5otoO, should approach each other from
S1aFlihg points about 100 miles apart While
Tie step is 10 be taken gradually, the Manas-
SdS held VIII enable the troops to observe and
uS AlusTatlons Of grand strategy, as well
as 10 gain practical knowledge OF battle tactics
When all previously learned lessons of drills in
Dolh close and extended order are put in play
Last year greater experience in the construc-
Uon ana use of pontoon bridges was afforded
a' Fort Riley than had been possible before In
Olls country since the close of the Civil War
anu Ihls important feature of military tnstruc-
uon' together with all that pertains TO field en-
eAIeerlhg' study and OF terrain etc will
not be omitted this year
MILITIA NATIONALIZED
Under the new militia lav No nov. ~ ~.
organized militia can escape field EXERCISES or
practlce OF some kind. and aside from the two
annual FEDERAL encampments and Joint ma
HoeuVres' which can include only a selected
part OF The States. provision is made for State
ehcaihpnnents at various places For example
I4S year the organized militia of Ohio is arrang-
4Ns LOT huge mobilization of its own, similar
TO- OUT more extended than. that Of PENNSYLVANIA
ana mat which last year Texas held at Austin.
Inc expense Of all these encampments both
1eoeraI and State, is paid by federal appro-
prlauons. but it is of pecuniary advantage to
the State to be included in the federal camps.
FOR instance each year there is an allotment
MADE TO each State of it's share of the 100000
appropriated by Congress annually, and if the
state hoIds its own encamprnent the expenses
must De paid for out of this allotment. But the
LAIIIua tnat participates in the two annual
federal encampments will have ali its expenses
pald out or the regular appropriation for the
army proper, and may thus save its entire allot-
Irlent, which is accumulative, for other purposes
IN another year AS rule the cost Of State
encampInents varies from about $4,000 to $50
wv each' whereas the annual federal joint ma
noeuVres this year Will cost nearly 81 200 600
The militia will be transported. have subsist-
eIce, and salaries and allowances will be paid
the same as the law guarantees to regular
troops, and the militiaman will be made to feel
and will be treated as though he We're, as now
ne actually IS, q part or the regular military
establishment of the land, thereby increasing
his individual interest In what is TO occur while
materially enhancing the spirit OF the militia
troops in general
Before his resignation as Secretary of War
Mr.. Root In concise terms stated in his last
report TO Congress that no important logisa-
ton regarding the army would be advisable for
some time TO come, adding the opinion that
occasion Tor some minor changes will OF course
develop from time to tine, and II is important
that Congress should continue the Hppropra-
tons necessary for carrying the policy al
READY adopted IN various directions; but very
great and radical changes have been made in
many respects during the last six years. and
the army should have time to put the new laws
into operation and work the new methods under
the General Staff without further disturbance"
Thus IL will be seen that for the first time
since the federal government was established
Congress, instead Of being vainly appealed to
for needed legislation. has simply been requested
10 let the army alone. in order that the reforms
and improvements made by the present Repub-
ncan administration, which are in line with
the best plans and highest hopes ever enter
tanned. may be fairly and fully tested by K
IerienCe.
Under the present established system the nil
tary force Of the United States ever ready and
more efficient than ever before 10 take the field
in The emergency OF war, may be summarized
in its elastic form as follows
Firs-The regular army now maintained by
minimum of $1,000 authorized by law but
capable of being enlarged by the President when
he perceives that war is inevitable to 10000
men.
Second-Such of the trained organized militia
as the President shall see 1T 10 call into service
Of the United States for not exceeding nine
months TO repel invasion.
Third-A first volunteer reserve, composed of
such parts of the organized militia already
trained a national guard as shall volunteer
by organizations, with all their officers and men.
Fourth-A second volunteer reserve composed
Of men previously enrolled and having previous
training in the National Guard, the regular
volunteer army, commanded by officers whose
fitness has been previously ascertained by prac-
teal tests provided under the militia law.
az y0iY mt
be necessary TO call forth from the States, &C
cording 70 their respective quotas, commanded
by reginental officers appointed by the Gov
errors of the States
According to Secretary Roots conservative
estimate made to Congress- the numbers which
would be included in the first four classes OF
troops for war army and which would have
already had military training and service, are
between 100000 and 100000 whereas the num-
bers of the fifth class-volunteers with and with
out previous military seryice-would be unltm-
tied depending solely upon the number of male
adults capable Of bearing arms, and the ca
pacity of the supply department to furnish
equipments, arms. rations, transportation etc.
SECRETARY ROOTS SCHEME.
It requires only a cursory glance backward
to see the splendid improvements thus made
in our military system since 1897. At that
time the regular army aggregated only about
$4,000 men, and absolutely without any
elastic feature to enable II TO be enlarged to
meet the sudden emergency OF the war that was
precipitated in the following year NOT only
that the twenty-five regiments OF infantry
which then formed the bulk Of the army, de-
spite nominal provisions, had actually the old
obsolete single battalion formation or ten com
panies in a regiment instead OF, as now, the
up-to-date three battaIions OF TOUR coulp4ilIes
each. Nor was there any provision whatever
for utilizing the so-called National Guard OF
niIitar1 rnissfon was circumscribed by State
eroergencies-a body, or more properly speaking
bodies of state troops which eyoluted ana grew
cor1uanfes of street pdraders