The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-12-07
THE FARMER: DECEMBER r, 1912

ferred periodically back and forrl from the United States. will remtin il the islands. The officers and n.eu composing these units will. however serve q regular tropical detail. as usual thus involving no greater hardshiI upon the personnel and greatly in creasing the effectiveness of the garri son.
 The Home Army.
 Simultaneously with the foFegoing steps the war department has beer proceeding with the reorganizatio o1 the army at home. The formerly dis associated dnits are being united into a tactical organization Of three divi sions. each consisting of two or three brigades of infantry and. so far as practicable. proper proportion of di visional cavalry and artillery. Of course the extent to which this reform, can be carried by the executive is practically limited to paper organiza- tion. The scattered units can be brought under proper organiza ton. but they will remain physically scat tered until congress supplies the nee essary funds for grouping them in more concentrated posts.
 Regular Army Reserve
 The new law provides that the sol dier after serving four years with col ors shall pass into a reserve for three years. At his option he may go into the reserve at the end of three years. remaining there for four years While in the reserve he can be called and only in such ease will receive a stated amount of pay for all of the period in which he has been member of the reserve. The legislation is imperfect. in my opinion. in certain particulars, but it is Il most important step in the right direction. and earnestly hope that it will be carefully studied and perfected by congress.
 The National Guard.
 Under existing jaw the national guard constitutes. after the regular army. the first line of national defense. It's organizatfon. discipline. training and equipment under recent legislation have been assimilated as far as possi- ble. to those of the regular army. and its practical efficiency under the effect of this training has very greatly in creased. Our citizen soldiers under present conditions have reached 9 stage Of development beyond which they can not reasonably be asked to go without further direct sssistance 1n the form of pay from the federal government On the other hand. such pay from the na tional treasury would not be justi- fed unless it produced proper equiva- lent in additional efficiency on the part of the national guard.
 The organized militia today cannot be ordered outside of the limits of the United States and thus cannot lawful ly be used for general military pnr poses. The officers and men are ambi- tious and eager to make themselves thus available and to beeoine an eff cient national reserve of citizen sol diery. They are the only force of trained men other than the regular army upon which we can rely. The so called militia pay bill in the form agreed on bet weeD the authorities of the war depaftment and the represent atfves of the national guard. in my opinion.- adequately meets these condi- lions and offers 8 proper return for the pay which il is proposed to give to the national guard.
 : l believe that it's enactment into law would be a very long step toward pro- viding this nation with first line of citizen soldiery. upon which it's main reliance must depend ill case of any national emergency. Plans for the or ya11izHtion of the national guard into tactical divisions on the same fines as those adopted for the regular army are being formulated by the war college division of the general staff.
 Porto Rico.
 Porto Rico continues to show notable progress. both commercially and in the nerce has increased IT 7=per cent over the preceding year. bringing the total value up to S92..s31 .sSj. or more than ,f the island in 1901. During the year I60.65T pupils. were enrolled in the public schools as against 145.525 for the preceding year and as compared with 26.tHD for the first year Of Amer1- an administration.
 The failure thns far to grant Ameri- .an citizenship ontinues to be the only ground of dissatisfaction. The bill sonferring such citizenship has passed he house of representatives ana is low awaiting the action or the senate
 am heartily in favor of the passage
 
 Tor citizenship. Is just and that it is imply earned by sustained loyalty on the part of the inhabitants of the is- land. But it should be remembered that the demand must be, and in the minds of most Porto Ricans ts entire y disassd clated from any thought of 
 The Philippines.
 bill is pending in congress which reyoludonizes the carefully worked out scheme of government under which the Philippine islands are now governed and Which proposes tO render them vir- tutilly autonomous at once and abso- utely sndependent in eight years. Such a proposal can only be founded on the assumption that we have now dist. harg- ad our trusteesslip to the Filipino peo- ole and OIIF rQSuOnSihilifv fr,r rhati1 fo