The Washington herald., 1911-02-01
primary-not the present kind of pri-

| he arrived full oftpepper. He plunged at
once in his discourse by saying that "all
this talk about wars at this time Is fool
ish and absolutely untrue, but we are
bound to have a war at some time.
Army IL Woods Hobby.
| He said, in part:
| 1T is evident to all thinking Americans
who have given the subject any consid-
GRAFTON that a more complete develop
ment and organization of our available
military resources is necessary. We have
a small regular army Of eighty-odd
Thousand men, a considerable porsi0n Of it
in the Philippines, and other portions in
| Alaska and the Hawaiian Islands. The
| available force in the United States is,
roughly, about 34OOO men. This force. on
a war footing, would probably amount
to about $4,000 men, but 1t would require
considerable time to bring 1t up to this
strength.
I'm addition to the troops of the regu-
lar establishment, We have the organized
militia, amounting. in round numbers. to
10000 men, a portion of which is COM
pnratively well instructed, and would be
available and would make reasonably
good troops with few weeks practical
instruction in camp. A large portion Of
1t is, however, sadly lacking in instruc-
ton, and the whole force would be great
ly benefited by systematic and continuous
instruction under the supervision of regu-
lar officers.
1T is with view to accomplishing this
end that bill has been introduced in
Congress for the purpose of improving
the efficiency Of the militia. The bill pro-
vides the detail for four years of 325 Off
GERS with the militia at the rate of one
officer with each regiment or militia in
fantry and one officer with each squad
ron and battalion Of militia cavalry and
field artillery.
Under the Dick law the government
is required to take the militia as it stands
before it can call for volunteers. Under
these conditions 1t is imperative that we
should do everything possible to make the
militia thoroughly efficient. for as the
President-speaking as Secretary Of War
said
Surely We have no right as a nation
to ask our citizens to expose themselves
as enlisted men without reducing the
chance of disaster and death by proper
military education.
Would Insure Its Officers
1T is certain that this policy will re-
suit in the gradual elimination from the
| militia Of unfit officers. and equally GER
tain that it will insure the establishment
OF a sound system of military instruc-
| tion throughout the organized militia On
the other hand, it is believed that the
| detail of these officers with the militia
will be of benefit to the regular estab-
lishment. as on returning to their regf-
ments they will bring them a certain
amount of the civilian viewpoint which
will be useful to Us in shaping our re-
! lations with the militia organizations
I TNr,,.. -
pacities and defects. 1t will. moreover
result in the War Department having
very exact information as to the capac-
| ity and fitness of the various organiza-
tions of the Natfo2al Guard.
The bill for federal pay. it is be-
| lieved. will be of material benefit in de-
veloping the militia, for ii provides an
| additional incentive for attendance and
| devotion to duty. and tends to overcome.
| to certain extent. much Of the dis
couraging opposition which the militia
| man encounters in his everyday work.
Moreover, it will. indirectly, tend to
| eliminate from the guard inefficient Off
GERS and organizations. those which
do not receive Federal pay will be
known as being below standard, and
eventually, they must improve or dis
appear.
I'VE are discharging from the regular
army and the militia in the Vicinity of
from 10000 to 10000 men a year. These
men have all had more or less military
instruction. In the regular army they
have received thorough course In the
pllitia they have received. in many in
stances, sound training: in all. con-
siderable amount Of military training.
These men should be formed into a re-
serve, serving under obligations to come
to the colorS in case of war only, and
should be required to keep the Adjutant
General informed as to their address,
and every alternate year come to the
Colors for a period of eight days. Var
ious schemes for forming a reserve have
been suggested. A feasible one seems
to be embodied in the proposal to make
the enlistment period in both services
ten years. three years with the colors
and seven years in the reserve, or. bet
ter still, two years with the colors and
eight years in the reserve.
Provides Big Reserve Force.
During the reserve period the monthly
pay would be small perhaps a dollar and
half per month. except during the
maneuver periods. when the pay would
be the full service pay of the grade. This
would give us at the end Of eight years
a reserve of approximately three hundred
Thousand men, which would be automat-
icaIly kept up, growing with the possible
increase of the regular army and the
certain increase of the militia This re-
serve would be Immediately available to
fill up the ranks of the regular army
and the organized militia regiments, and
would give us in time of war a force
Immediately available of regulars and
militia. composed of old soldiers, of about
four hundred thousand men, a very re-
spectacle force and one which could be
used at once pending the organization of
volunteers.
I'VE should supplement our regular and
militia organizations by instruction in
rife shooting throughout the public
schools of the country.
Military instruction should be fostered
at the larger schools and colleges. as our
great shortage in time 81 N not
be in men. but in ms H al. taking
officers.
1--WE should also ac l.lirs al lequate
supply of small arms I'd fie tillery-I
guns and ammunitiOn-f'p eqoir rs force,
and provide arms vslunts IS. who
would certainly be nj tied in cas-, of war
with a first-class poy jer.
I'VE must remembi- that x -se should
lose sea control, s tons, Seil->rganized
forces can be landtf gloa or coast in
very short spacj Of time, and that
there will be almo no tiinn for ust to
enlist, train, and Q tsanize g. irmy. we
must have a reas able force ready to
meet the first sh fcs OF va. Soldiers