The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1912-12-13

some length the national reserve as
ISOLATION system recommended by the
monetary commission and urged con
gress to examine the plan impartially
from all standpoints and then 10 adopt
some plan which will secure the bene-
fits desired
Concerning the tariff he had little to
say in view OF the fact that new
congress has been elected on plat
form OF tariff for revenue only.
Army Reorganization.
Our small army now consists or
81. SO9 men. exvluding the 5000 Philip
pine scouts. Leaving out OF consid-
Grafton the coast artillery force,
whose position is fixed in our various
seacoast defenses, and the present
garisons OF our various insular pos
sessions, we have today within the
continental United States a mobile
army Of only about $4,000 men. This
little force must be still further
drawn upon 70 supply the new garri-
sons for the great naval base which
is being established at Pearl Harbor
in the Hawaiian islands, and TO pro
tect the locks now rapidly approach
ing completion At Panama. The
forces remaining in the United states
are now scattered in nearly fifty
posts. situated for j variety OF his
torica! reasons in tweAty-four states.
These posts contain only fractions OF
regiments. averaging less than zoo
men each In time Of peace It has
been our historical policy 70 admins
Ter these units separately by 8 geo
graphical organization. In other
words. our army in time OF peace has
never been q united organization but
merel~ scattered groups OF compa-
MES. battaiors and regiments. and
the first task in time OF war has been
70 create out OF these scattered units
an army fl for effective teamwork
and cooperation
To he task OF meeting these pat
snt defects, the war department has
been addressing itself during the past
year A comprehensive plan OF re-
organization was prepared by the
war cole division OF the general
sca1. This plan was thoroughly dis
cussad last summer At 3 series OF
open conferences held by the secre-
tary O, war and attended by repre-
ssuta.ives from sill branches Of the
army and from congress. In printed
form il has been distributed 70 men,
hers Of congress and throughout the
army and The national guard. and
widely through institutions Of learn
:1E and elsewhere IL the United
states. II It. for The first time, We
have tentative chart for future
progress.
Under The influence Of this study
definite and effective steps have
been taken toward army reo--an!-a-
ion 50 Tar IS such reorganization
les within the executive power.
Hitherto there has been no difference
Of policy IN he treatment Of The or
SANITATION Of our foreign E2-risors
rom those q troops within The Unit
Sd States The difference Of s:tua-
ION : vital. ard the foreign garrison
should h= prepared 70 defend itself
a. al .as.arts notice against 2 Zoe
who may command the sea Unlike
the troops II TIE United States !,
can not count upon -e;-:o-ce-erts
or recruitment + Is 81 outpost
upon w1.ca wi, IA. The b-v1- Of the
first attack n case q war. The his
-or!cal policy a. the United States q
carrying is regiments during time q
peace a. half strength has no apQli-
cation 70 our foreign Ea--tsOls. Dur
Ing The past year this defect has
been rsmedied as . he Philippines
garrison. The former garrison o. -
reduced regiments has been replaced
by q garrison q s:Z regiments a. full
strength. giving fully the same num-
her Of 7i5e-er 3 a- estimated
economy IL cost Of maintenance Of
over S-.1o1a9' 7e- year. This Ea-7!-
son IS 10 be permanent Is regimen
tai units instead c5 being transferred
periodically bacs and forth from the
United States vii. remain IL The
Islands The officers and men com
posing -hasz units will however.
serve q regular tropical detail as
usual. thus involving 10 greater hard
ship uron the personnel and greatly
increasing the effectiveness OF the
garrison. \ similar policy Is pro
posed fer the Hawaiian and Panama
garrjsons as fast IS the barracks fo-
them are completed I strongly urge
upon congress that the necessary ap-
preparations for this purpose should
be promptly made Il is. in my op;n-
ion. of first Importance that these
national outposts. upon which q sue
cessful home defense will. primarily,
depend. should be finished and placed
in effective condition at the earliest
possible day
The Home Army.
simultaneously with the foregoing
steps the war department has been
proceeding with the reorganization
Of the army at home The formerly
disassociated units are being united
into a tactical organization of three
divisions, each consisting Of two or
three brigades of infantry and. so far
as practicable a proper proportion of
divisional cavalry and artillery. OF
course the extent to which this re
form can be carried by the executive
is practically limited to a paper or
ganlzation. The scattered units can
be brought under a proper organiza.
ton. but they win remain physically