The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1911-12-17

present congress probably Will make
important changes in the organization
Iof the United States army Some oi
these changes will be recommended by
the war DEPARTMENT, while others Will
Ioriginate IN the house committee on
military affairs, and will go before
the house with the opposition of the
war department officials.
Chairman James Hay, of the house
committee, is a military authority him
self. He has for years been Il mem
! bor of the committee. He has stud
led army needs during a period. While
the Republicans had control of the
house, however, lac had but little i'll
| iluence as a minority member. He
could cooperate with Republicans and
get results, but he could not then lead
successful fight if politics was in
iected.
Now the house chairman is in com
mand of the situation and he has a
program for army legislation which
he proposes to put through if posi-
BILE He proposes first of all that the
enlistment period be increased from ,
to ) years. This il radical step, but
it is one which has the support of
some of the leading military authori-
ties in the country.
The argument in favor of 1t is
strong, just as the objections are
strong. The Hay followers point out
that it is a foolish policy to train
American soldiers for three years, to
go to expense of making them fight.
ing machines, then to have them quit
the service when they are valuable to
the army 1t would be IA good invest
ment, they say, to train and organize
them into a fighting body, if they are
to serve for at least five years. 9th
erwise the investment would not be
justified, they claim.
From the opposition comes the ar
gument that to insist upon a tive-year
enlistment would discourage men from
going to the army. Men, as a rule,
the war department people say, do not
enlist in the army with the idea of
serving more than one term. Many
of them re-enlist, it is true, but they
do il after they have become attached
to army life by trying it, They rarely
have any such idea when they origin
ally offer their services.
Therefore, it is pointed out if long
terms of enlistment are required the
army will have even greater difficulty
in keeping the forces recruited up to
its present force than now.
Then, too the Hay committeeman
propose that the government provide
for service corps. In other words,
they want to enlist the men who are
doing the clerical work at army posts
and military depots AT present mos,
of the clerical work is done by civil.
ians and not by soldiers. These ci-
villains are permitted to resign when
they please, and could if they pleased,
leave the army in times of stress,
that is, at times when they were
most needed
The present chairman of the house |
military committee says this condi- /
ion should be changed He wants en-
listed men-men who are under mill
AIRY orders, to do the responsible
work now being done by clerks in
iyil capacity.
Objections have been made to this
m the ground that soldiers, who have
nlisted in the army for military duty,
want military duty They do not want
o be clerks and they will not serve
II such stations. Dcscrtions in great .
.umbors are predicted under any such
'lan as is proposed by the Hay bill, |.
low pending before congress.
There are TWO reorganization plans !.
proposed by the Democratic commit l
2cmcn, however which probably viii /
e supported by the army as whole. II
'or instance it is planned to abandon 4
lany of the small army posts through
ut the country, and concentrate the
roops in the more important forts
his is proposed pon the theory that
he army is now too much scattered,
hat it cannot secure the best training
nder present conditions, and that aft.
+ all. the military establishment was
ot intended to prove primarily a ben
fit to a large number OF small com
lunities that now boast of having
rmy posts.
These local interests have in the
asst been fully able, however, to pre-.
ent the abandonment of these posts,
nd have hV means of Ooliticol ,rass