The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-01-04
Army Officials Considering
Plans to Show the Fitness
Of Their Branch of the
Service.
LARGER LAND FORCE rs
DESIRE OF PRESIDENT
Argument Is Made the Army
Should Be Increased to
Peace Footing of 100000
Men.
BY Sheldon S. Cline

ny SnSi0On ~ltUC-
Washington, Jan. 4.-Now that the
United States Navy has demonstrated
to the world its ability to meet almost
any test, the army authorities are con-
sidering plans to show the fitness OF
that branch of the service to rise to
q sudden emergency such as would
follow a declaration of war. These
plans include a series of army maneu-
vers which promise to rival in mag
nificence, IL not in the number of men
and munitions involved, the great
yearly army maneuvers of Germany,
France and England, These maneu-
vers will be far more than repeti-
ton of those of a year ago, in that
they will assemble greater number
of men and from spectacular stand
point will resemble the popular con-
ception of what would follow if this
country were called upon to repel the
attack of foreign power whose
troops had already landed on our
shores. They will be held next
Spring in several parts of the country,
and the several states wherein they
are held and those adjacent will be
asked to furnish national guardsmen
to swell the number of participants
and share in the benefits Of the train
ing.
To Stimulate interest.
All this is part of general plan to
stimulate interest in the Army and
impress Congress and the people with
the urgent need of increasing the
fighting force Of the United States to
a peace footing exceeding 100000
about $4,000 men, it is contended by
President Roosevelt, Maj. Gen. Bell,
chief OF staff, and in fact by most
army men, is wholly inadequate to
meet anything approaching war
emergency. There is something, too,
in the desire of the army authorities
to share in the prominence which the
Navy has enjoyed and profited by
since the PRONUNCIATION of the Presi-
dents greater navy" policy. This
prominence to the Navy has been
heightened since the departure of the
battleship fleet on it's world-round
cruise, and in consequence Army men
are eager to show just what their
service is capable of doing.
Navy Always Popular.
There has always been something
about the navy and naval life and SER
vice that has appealed strongly to
the sentiment and Imagination of the
American people, and in such way
as to reinforce and make effective the
solid reasons which exist for the main.
flamenco of an adequate navy. There
is romance and picturesqueness about
everything connected with the navy,
and there has been besides a magnifi.
cent record for dash, bravery, devo
ton to duty and unsurpassed achieve.
| ment which have endeared the Navy
to all classes and secured it unvary.
ing support for whatever it asks for
This rs not always the portion OF
the army. though its personnel are
in no sense less worthy than the
navy Of the country's praise. In time
OF peace, except in just such maneu
| vers az are proposed, the army has lit
tie or no opportunity to prove itself
able to meet a test. This service, in
short, is just everyday, prosaic
steady-going hard work. It's require
ments, from the nature of it's duties
are scattered over so wide an area
that there Is nowhere any considera
BILE force, and in consequence it does
not impress the imagination OF the
people as the navy does, and, as its
friends have long contended. does moi
secure the support to which it is en-
titled.
/ Bell Talks Plainly.
Gen. Bell recently made a speech il
which he talked plainly of this coun
trys unpreparedness for anything like
war. He declared that his observa
tons had led him to believe that hat
the United States been at war will
Germany or England instead of Spair
in 1908, We would have suffered tht
worst defeat In our history. He ad
vocated a plan to increase the arm,
to at least 1000 men Immediately
with the idea of gradually doublin,
the number. These proposed maneu
vers are the result of Gen. Bells in
sistence on bringing the army more t,
the front. He has twice been a spec
tator at German and French arm,
maneuvers, and his ideas may be SAFE
to have had their inception from
what he saw in those countries.