The Neshoba Democrat., 1912-12-12

To the task of meeting these patent
defects, the war department has been ad-
dressing itself during the past year. A
comprehensive plan of reorganization was
prepared by the war college division of
the general STAFF. This plan was thor
oughly discussed last summer at a series
Of open conferences held by the secretary
of war and attended by representatives
from all branches of the army and from
congress. In printed form 1t has been
distributed to members Of congress and
throughout the army and the national
guard, and widely through institutions of
learning and elsewhere in the United
States. In 1t, for the first time, we have
tentative chart for future progress.
The National Guard.
Under existing law the national guard
constitutes, after the regular army, the
first line of national defense. Its or
ganization, discipline, training. and equip
ment, under recent legislation, have been
assimilated, as far as possible, to those
of the regular army, and its practical
efficiency, under the effect of this train
ing, has very greatly increased. Our citi-
zen soldiers under present conurlons
have reached n stage of development be-
yond which they cannot reasonably be
asked to go without further direct as
sistance in the form Of pay from the fed
~,
pay from the national treasury would not
be justified unless 1t produced proper
equivalent In additional efficiency on the
part of the national guard. The organized
militia today cannot be ordered outside or
the limits of the United States, and thus
cannot lawfully be used for general mill
tary purposes. The officers and men are
ambitious and eager to make themselves
thus available and to become an efficient
national reserve of citizen soldery. They
are the only force of trained men, other
than the regular army, upon which we
can rely. The so-called military pay bill,
in the form agreed on between the au-
thorities of the war department and the
representatives Of the national guard, in
my opinion adequately meets these con-
ditions and offers n proper return for the
pay which 1t Is proposed to give to the
national guard. l believe that its enact
ment into law would be a very long step
toward providing this nation with first
line of citizen soldiery, upon which Its
main reliance must depend in case of any
national emergency. Plans for the or
ganization of the national guard into tao
teal divisions, on the same lines as those
adopted for the regular army, are being
formulated by the war college division
of the general STAFF.
Porto Rico. Mr.. Taft says continues
to show notable progress and he urges
the senate to pass the bill granting the
Porto Ricans American citizenship.
Philippines.
A bill Is pending in congress, con-
tinues the message. which revolution
ICES the carefully worked out scheme
of government under which the Philip
pine islands are now governed and
which proposes to render them virtu-
ally autonomous at once and absolutely
independent in eight years. Such a
proposal can only be founded on the
assumption that we have now dis
charged our trusteeship to the Filipino
people and our responsibility for them
to the world, and that they ore now
prepared for government as well
as national sovereignty. A thorough
and unbiased knowledge Of the facts
clearly shows that these assumptions
are absolutely with justification. AS
to this, l believe that there is no sub
stantial difference of opinion among
any of those who have had the respon-
sibilty of facing Philippine problems
in the administration of the islands,
and I believe that no one to whom the
future of this people Is a responsible
concern can countenance a policy
fraught with the direst consequences
to those on whose behalf it is osten-
sibly urged.
In the Philippine islands we have
49, Ne1la aaii, az, .,iti, ~ ul.pi 1oe
neonIes wa ora aa,laia,,i,o t,oma
conditions exc1us,ve1v ,or +heir a,,,,,
unlfore W. rnrna 49,, noIi,,,.n -
containi,o o. +rihas N aae l.5,
49, - 80. n.. % ."l.' op'aN
WITH nonu,,tion o,,.r o. 80 80, 'la
which could neitber raod ,or ,I,,,tn
Throuph tho unifving foroos of
common edrc,tior of oo,ao,,I
and economic deve1onment ,nd nf
rradual narticin,tion In Iocol s.,t ro,,o,,
ment wa arn endaavoriny r. ano1,,o =
homoraneous naonlo a. 10 aota,,,t
when the time arrives tbair own dastir,,,
We are seeking IA orouso , ,otinnaI s,is
q and NOT os rndor ~, oIaar aa,ni,;a,
tteorv to sunnress sucb q srir,t ,rta
character of the u,or,, ,,,a bova hoa,, aa
ing ia l,een1v recornized IN tha O,;ort
and our success tbus far fo,,on,ad 1,itt,
NOT n uttIe envy hv tbo.a ,,h, ,,it,,t,.,.
tbe same nolicv 6nd tbon,soIvas ha,,,,,
erred NV conditions crown IN y, aor,inr
dav. and under dIesront +bnor;a. - "a
m,nistration Rut o,r ,,ori, t. 90. f.a.,,
done Our dutv to tho E,iIininos is ,an
from d,scharged Oyer h,lr ,,,i,,,or, r,iI
nino students ore now ir ~ r,,Ii;r;a
schooIs helnino to VIOLA +ba r,a,, - ti,o
r,,ture into n bon,ogeneo,,s nann,o t,,t
there still remain moro th,r ,,,,,,,o.
Eilin,no children ~ .ohoo1 oma W.. - ",
re.cbed Eraod fro,, Ar,orIo, .I ~
+he intogro+ir, foroo. - - NV