The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-10-14
Army and :
Navy News ;

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Los ANGELES, California, Septem
Der 30.-In speech in which he de
clared the hope of this country lay il
compulsory military service with a per
manent system of drafting young mel
into the army, Lieut.-Gen. Adna r
Chaffee, retired, addressed the closing
session of the NationaI Guard conven
ton yesterday. He declared that fifty
or sixty thousand young men should
be drawn by lot every year for com
puIsory military service and the same
number retired into a reserve until the
reserve had 100000 trained men ready
at any moment to be called to the
colors.
Lieutenant General Chaffee also spoke
with cutting sarcasm against the mod
ern idea of going to war with aero
planes and automobiles. 81 guess, -
he said, "that when war comes you will
have to take a pack on your back and
hoof 1t through the mud as we did y
Coming from the former head of the
army, this radical stand for conscrip-
ton made a profound sensation. His
speech followed a scarcely less inter
esting incident. The resentment that
many national guardsmen feel toward
the new government policy of holding
immense annual maneuvers burst out in
hot and exciting debate The protest
has been smoldering throughout the en-.
tire session.
The Question of Rations.
Captain Frederick w. Stopford OF
the regular army spoke on army rations
and referred to the lack of coopera.
ton between the quartermaster and the
commissary departments. Brigadier
General Dougherty of Pennsylvania
suddenly blurted out the question
:" Was that the reason the Boston
manenvers fell down this summer?"
Captain Stopford turned and said:
81 couldn't say they fell down,
should say that the men went hungry
and suffered through the fault of their
company officers. If they had had the
forethought to procure at least two
haversaek rations and one emergency
ration there would have been no suf
1effng from hunger.
When Captain Stopford finished hi:
paper rigadier- General Daugherty of
fered a resolution against any turtle.
big maneuvers with regulars. CoIone
Lloyd of New York emphatically APP
proved the resolutions. Then there
was stampede of officers eoncurrine
and opposing the proposition. Finally
General Daugherty withdrew his reso
luton, saying;
Anyhow, I guess we have called
this matter to the attention of the
war department.
Chaffee Is Emphatic.
Lieutenant-G General Chaffee in the
course of his address said: ''I be
lieve very little in this aeroplane bust
ness, / don t believe aeroplanes arr
ever going to win war. And l hold
the same opinion Of automobiles.
If ever we are to have an ade
quate army to defend this country il
must be by compulsory military service
! will venture to say that an army o.
100000 could be maintained at wha-
1t now costs to maintain our army Of
10000. EVERY citizen owes it as {
duty to contribute his military service
Compulsory service would bring tn,
army straight home to the hearts OF
the people. Your son would be will
the colors and mine would be. 1t woulj
raise our appreciation of the army
We would get men of good quality
The result of compulsory service
would be To wipe out this awful dis
grace of from seven to ten per cen
of assertions every year.
Gen. Grant Upheld.
WASHINGTON. September 30.-sec
retarg Dickinson finds nothing to crit
eize in the action of General Grant il
taking part in a temperance and law
enforcement parade in Chicago in hi
uniform as major general of th'
United States Army, and says that a
to such movements each soldier and of
ficer has a right to determine the mat
ter for himself.
Secretary Dickinson s declaration
was brought cut in reply TO a lette
from W. r. Nichaeljs of Chicago crit
eizing General Grant.
The secretary says: 81 don t know
the facts. but I have seen it stated
that it was not a prohibition parade
but a temperance and law-enforcemen
parade. You state that it has beer
rumored that the Federal government
and the Army in general have takeI
sides with the prohibition movement
If the Federal government has in an
wav taken part in any such movement
i l.-n