Amarillo daily news. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 19??-current, 1912-04-23

Last year came the TeNas mInen-
vers. Early In March a rall vas sent
out % assemble near the MaXican
border one division % troops the
smallest body that can be considered
an army.
% was "a movement which. Boz case
LOT actual war must be- carried
/ through Immediately After three
months. during which the enerry OF
the recruiting establishments was 20
la large extent concentrated upon the
task. % was not possible 70 raise th g
one division from Boz skeleton pea"e
form 10 more than about two-thirls
.us bu war streueth ln other words
|n three months tho United States
.h1d fIrl 90 recruit one s.n-le If-
Vision un OBJ prlser -transth for wlr
Proved our IIclplcs,nc,s.
The concentration 40 San Antonio
demonstrated conclus.ye.y 0ur hclr-
Iessness 20 meet with trained troops
.any sudden emergency unless an ade.
.0uatc reserve from which our skcle-
ton organization can be- filled up is
provided In time OF peace People
forget that the mere assemblarc OF
armed mon is not an army. An army
I is a we'll balanced entity, with defi-
nitcly prescribed parts. The mere
assembling OF men carrying arms
comes far short OF being IN army
/ In the true sense OF the word The
troops OF the division which We as.
sembled had never had any instruc-
tions as parts OF a division None o.
the officers had ever commanded a
division few had ever seen one And
this applied not only 10 the youneer
Officers but To those OF long service
The Texas mancuvers were a great
object lesson. not of cffi'ient organ-
/ izatlon. bat of lack Of efficient orear.
iyatiou Everybody saw this who was
even moderately familiar with mile
|tary matters The foreign attaches
We're courteous they talked enthl-
sastically concerning the sanitary
work and the success oft our typhoid
incubation ot the tEo physique ana
appearance oi the men, but OF di.
vision equipped Tor the field they
spoke not at AN.
The situation then was Yer, clean
latter the Texas manouvcrs oar ar.
nay boz the United states is NOT or
rauiycd as an army and There is no
way for ms 10 organize o. ulG'r the
Iprcscuf scattered locations of om
posts Individually we have perhaps
the best officers and enlisted men In
ihc world fine body of men, large.
lly diverted fro mtheir ordinary mill.
tary training BY their daily duties
as landscape gardeners and caretak.
ers Of so-calleu military posts. which
We maintain. not because OF m'luar,
Necessity. but as the inheritance OF 4
vicious system,
our pcrll IN War.
n they should be- suddenly assem-.
BLEED for war. our troops would find
themselves good deal in the pos
lion OF fleet whose ships. until tha,
moment. had always operated under
the Independent, commanders and bad
never combined in training or fleet
cvolutions The training " The con
uany such a. We have had -ha,
served 10 develop our company off
GERS, the training NJ the re2irehr
has given some training TO Our regi
mental commanders. but the trGinin.
of brigades and divisions which 9,
Just as important for general off
GERS and for an army as a whole, ha,
been absolutely lacking.
Since long before the time OF IN,
Texas maneu,ers, the direction Of ~,
effort of the war department ha,
been toward the final reorganization
OF our army which must ultimatcll
come. We have done away with Oh,
old territorial department system or
d der which our pests were grouped
concentrated administration. instead
an the three division Headquarters 90
the United States and one u tho phil
ipp.ues. and lef. tHc department
commanders. formerly busy with a3
administrative work. practically free f8
the thorough inspection ana iustrue
ton of the troops ot ueir com
mands.
The needs of the United States g
insure it's defense AGAINST invasion
hy the four or five great 'mii'ar'
powers have been carefully worke.
ont hy the war college. the thooreti
.cal division OF the general staff. Tn
smallest possible provision is for Al
army OF $4,000 men. The posi-
hilily Of war upon this continent {
not immediate. Il is true. but II !
far greater than Il was twentv-fly
wears ago. and every year il become
{ a more practical question There ar
2 al least four great nations which
, given sea contol for a short perio
] OF time. could land from two 10 thre
hundred thousand men on our coast
4 Noed of Modern Ideas.
:. The United States needs at leas
E $50 900 men at home and in its for
- eign garrisons. II has somethin
more than seventy-five thousand re-
Iulars and about 100 OnO r,ii,i, r.