Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1911-08-24
If PENDING BILL GETS THROUGH
CONGRESS HIGH SCHOOL WILL
HAVE MILITARY COMPANIES.
TO GET FEDERAL AID
Government to Supply Equipments and
Regular Army Officers are to
Drill the Boys.
(By Victor Elliott

Washington, Aug 23.-A bill is
pending in Congress which will af-
feet the military of every state in the
Union, and which will provide for
what the General Staff of the Army
calls the Zine of third defence.
This measure provides for the or
ganization in every high school of
every city in the United States of a
cadet corps. These bodies of youth
full soldiers are TO be equipped by
the Federal government and placed
under the training of state militia
officers.
Already there is strong sentiment
behind the bill, and If it comes 10 an
issue at the next session it will re
ceive favorable consideration. The
War Department is back of it, the ed
ucational forces arc for II, and the
military committee Of the House and
Senate are inclined to indorse IT,
Should such measure pass, it will
mean the military organization of
from 10000 to 25o,o00 cadets in the
various schools of the country. These
boys will be given thorough military
training. and will develop into a body
of equipped and drilled reserves in
case the country should ever need
their services.
This high school cadet movement
ie nrf, Of
ministration in the War Department
to give the country Il stronger fight
ing force. The six-months-enlis
measure, the regular army reserve,
to be composed of former soldiers,
and the larger state militia bills are
parts of the general plan.
There is more interest in the pro
posed organization of cadet commands
than in any offer plan of the War De-
parment. This is because almost
every town of consequence would
have Il company or two of young sol
diers. and every high. school boy will
have an opportunity to get military
training without going to military
academy, or enlisting in the national
guard.
The whole plan of organization and
equipment will. if the bill passes. be
modelled after the high school cadets
of Washington. For twenty years
there has been such corps in the
national capital 1t has become ia
nous. More than thousand boys
compose it, and it is organized under
the strict regulations of the regular
army. Regular army officers drill
the boys, and the Chief and Staff and
Secretary of War once a year review
the cadets and put them through
dress parade.
One of the differences will lie in
the fact that national guard, instead
of regular army officers. will COM
mand the high school cadets of TIE
various states. 1t would be imprac-
ticable. of course, for regular army
officers to drill and train all the high
school commands that might be or
SdulZeu unUeT SuCn 4 law.
In nearly every town and city or
the United States, which has a high
school, there is national guard com
mand. One officer from the guard
would therefore be ordered by his
state adjutant general to take TIE
boys under his command This Of
ficer would be paid by the federal
government for his work and time
The subordinate officers of each
command would be cadets themselves
These officers would be elected by
the commands, or else be chosen by
competitive drill. Or the school
teachers pick the officers for the
cadet for the cadet corps.
1t is planned by the federal govern
ment to provide all cadets with arms.
These will consist of guns, belts and
ammunition. The uniforms will be
furnished by the cadets themselves
Uniforms which may be worn all the
time in places of the usual clothing
would be prescribed, and no heavy
expense therefore would fall upon
the famil, of any cadet
One of the important features of
the present cadet plan is the largest
practice provided for. This is intend
ed to raise the standard OF American
craftsmanship. Already the standard
in the regular army is high compared
with the armies Of other countries.
but it is not high enough in the ma
tional guard.
After training the young boy how
to shoot gun and how to hit tar
get. the government expects the ma
tional guard to ultimately profit by
the knowledge of the boys from whom
the guard recruits it's forces. This