El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-07-02

p A ILITARY maneuvers were be-
| N gun yesterday on the Gettys-
| burg battlefield, just Al years
| AMER me armies of Meade and Lee met
| each other at that place. The battle
| field OF Chick amauga also began to hear
again the rattle OF musketry, the Occa-
! sion of the maneuVerS on the two bat
tIefields being the joint camps of in
, Struction which are being held through
out the United States during the pres
ent summer and fall. Under the new
policy of the war department, each
even year witnesses joint maneuvers by
the regular army and the state militia,
| while In the odd years the National
Guard is expected to take care of it
self These war games are planned and
fought in order to give the officers of
the regular army and of the National
Guard that experience which cannot be
had from the books or even in the ac-
tual practice of the armOry or in
the handling of small bodies OF men in
the field
The work of the present summer is in
furtherance of a carefully wrought out
plan so to train and organize the Ma
tlonal Guard as to permit it TO be used
at once in the case of war. 1t is the
intention Of the war department, as
soon as the necessary Legislation and
state cooperation is secured, TO organ
lie the country into about eight mill
tary districts, with a central army post
IN each district, and post in each state
In this way the regular army may be
used as the nucleus of a military or
ganiZatfon composed of the full strength
OF the regular army and the National
Guard.
Under this plan there would be about
eight army corps created, and the reg
ulars and the militia would be so ar
ranged in their assignments to duty
that corps would be ready to take
the field at a moments notice. The Ma
tional Guard, of course, would be in
service only at the times of general
meaneuvers, but would form as much
part of the corps organization as If They
were regulars themselves.
Plan Works Well.
This plan. already has been tried in
the case of the sea coast defense
Realizing that congress would not make
sufficient appropriations for the man
mig of all the sea coast defenses, vet
aware of the fact that the defenses can
be efficiently handled in case of war
only by men of considerable training,
the war department secured the con.
sent OF the governors of the sea coast
states to have the soldiery of the Ma
tional Guard detailed 10 assist in the
manning of these defenses
In this way all of the big guns which
protect the sea coasts of the country
may have their full complement of men
IN snort order in the event of an i'm
pending struggle. The regulars of the
coast guards are able to keep the coast
defense in good shape. while on peace
footing and the week or two yhicb
is annaully spent with them BY the Ma
tional Guard is sufficient to give the
training that will enable the militia
men to render efficient service at the
very outbreak of hostilities with any
other nation.
The idea of so arranging the mobile
FORCES of the regular army and the Ma
uonaI Guard that they will be fully
organized for active service at all times.
Is now being tried out. The New Eng
land states and the state of New York
nave been designated as the first field
army district The National Guard of
these states and the regular army or.
carnations quartered in their TERRITORY |
nave been organized into the first fielc
army of the United States, with the com
handing general of the department Of |
the east as its commander
rms army is made of three divisions.
and Is so organized that the National /
Guard troops and the regular armv
troops VIII constitute a homogeneous
"iioic' So organized Jhat 1t would go |
into active service, differed and com
manded just as it is at the present time |
In order that ii may be the more fully
equipped for active service should sucb /
an occasion arise, it is planned 10 have
all matters pertaining TO the National /
Gudrd IN these states passed through /
the hands of the commanding general OF /
the department of the, east. In this wav /
the necessity of delay incident to plac- !
ing newly organized force in the /
field will be obyiated.
State Cooperation Necessary
If the experiment with reference m
the first field army works out as sat-
isfactorfly as the war department has
reason to expect, similar armies will
be established in other parts of the
country When these armies have been
perfected the United States win find
itself on secure war footing. with no
addition TO the standing army
The only thing necessary to the ac- |
complishment of this purpose Is that
the governors of the states affected
snail give their cooperation to the pro-
ject. 1t will involve no additional ont
lay of money and no additional service |
on the part of the National Guard: all
the advantages of large standing !
army may thus be secured with none !
of the disadvantages incident to the
maintenance of such a body of SOL
diers.
Under the new plan there will be