The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1910-12-23

a
proper, and in Hawaii and Porto Rico.
and some day, perhaps. the great ma
tIunal reserve organ. Zation that at pres
ent exists only on paper. In the map
in which the divisions are shown, Porto
Rico IS in The Eighth and Hawaii in the
Seventeenth Division
OF the proposed national reserve. the
creation Of which has been the dream
of army officers for so many wears, Col
Weaver. after referring to the limita-
tions of uniformity in training the or
gained militia, as enforced by the
special conditions existing in the diff
ferent States and Territories. adds that
these limitations need not necessarily
lead 10 the conclusion that it is i'm
possible to provide a satisfactory uni
formlv trained body of citizen soldiers
for the defense of the United States.
Lack of Uniformity.
"If the best conditions found among
the organized militia of the States he
SAYS IN his report, could be made uni
form throughout the United States. it
would be a satisfactory solution OF the
problem.
1.-The question arises, how is it pos
sible to obtain such uniformity? 1t is
evident that it can be assured only iii
case the training and instruction of the
citizen Soldlery can be prescribed and
enforced by the war departments; that
IS. in ease the citizen soldiery be a
federal force rather than state force.
If existing conditions of the best state
forces could be transferred from state
I l. !.
| citizen solderv could be created. per
uniting officers and men to pursue their
regular Vocations without demanding
more time from them for military at
fairs and for their instruction and train
ing than now obtain under state rela-
tons it is believed that satisfactory
conditions would result. Indeed, such
force would be practically such Il one
as constitutes the army of Switzerland.
THAT is. the conclusion is reached,
that while a federal citizen soidiery
may be expected to be made really sat
isfactoriIv efficient for field service, a
state militia under existing conditions
Will always vary from very satisfactory
to very unsatisfactory; it can hardly be
expected to be uniformly efficient.
whether i would be possible to bring
into existence such federal citizen
soIdierv as here indicated. 1t is pos
sible that the present organized militia
would not approve of such body OF
citizen soldiers, and it would be useless
10 attempt to provide such force II
the organized militia should oppose It.
On the other hand, there IS some rea-
SON to believe that the minds Of some
Of the leading officers OF the organized
militia appreciate the difficulties which
have been refereed to above, and as
practical and patriotic American citi-
zens. are becoming convinced st the
necessity Of providing in some way an
adequate and really effective military
force for national defense, in addition
To and supplementary to the regular
army and the existing state forces.
Fedepal Citizen soldiry.
"A body of federal citizen soldiery
organized by federal law, would have
| to be organized under the power of con
oress granted by the Constitution te
| raise and support armies; it would have
| to be rart Of the army of the United
States: it could not be any past - the
militia authorized by the Consultation
''With these thoughts in mind, with
| 2 clear understanding that the proposal
| : at the present time purely academic
| and with a view solely to developing
| discussion it is suggested that body
IF citizen solsiery, such a that con
| templated might be created AZ a re
serve for the regular army; that con
! gress might provide such a forse rs =
part Of the United States Army, re
s'rve branch. 10 supplement and to con-
! hine with the active regular army and
| the organized militia for national de.
| Tense in time Of emergency. Such re-
| serve force might well constitute part
! of the regular army of the United States;
! that is. the regular army Of the nlted
| States might be considered as divided
| into TWO branches, an active brsnch
kent constantly modified and filed tC
| the limit now authorized by law. and
the reserve to be called say the ma
| tionaI reserves. to consist Of body OF
citizen so1diery, supplamenting the ac
tive army. and constituting, IN time OF
neace, body that would receive tram
| "a soldiers. both commissioned ana en-
listed from the active regular army on
| one side and from the organized m'itla
| on the other.
| at wouI serve As a body to nreelyt
| all who had had military training III
! ,ba active regular army and organized
militia hut who. while wishing to give
| 49,, ee+iye training. would desire tc
| mako themselves available for military
sarvie. In time = national danger: il