The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-04-20
plans Begun Which viii Give Uncle
Sam Bigger Army at
Moments No
tice.
THE MILITARY RESERVE
Major General Leonard Wood Tells
Of How Thoroughly Trained
Men Could be
! Available.

Available.
WASHINGTON. April 19.-If plans
of Major General Leonard Wood. Sec
rotary of War Garrison and United
States military experts go through as
actively begun today, this country
will be able, in case OF war, to put
into the field vast army Of scientifi-
cally trained soldiers at moments
notice. The system which was today
for the first time publicly advocated
by the army's chief of staff, Is the
short enlistment term and longer ra-
serve service. II the plan as outlined
in detail by Gen. Wood carries, 1t
would mean that every man who has
served his short enlistment term and
has become a member of the re-
serves, would be liable to call to col
ors in the event of war.
IBy Major General Leonard Wood,
chief of staff, U. S. A. Written
for the United Press.1
4
BY short enlistment should not be
| understood an enlistment so short
| that proper instruction can no be CIV
| en-. but an enlistment which is long
enough to instruct the men thorough
| ly, and no longer In other words.
we want to instruct our men thorough
| " in order that they may be able to |
perform efficiently the duties of SOL
! der OF war. AS soon as this instruc- /
/ ton is completed, they should return
! to their economic occupations and be
/ replaced by other men. The change,
| of course, will be gradual. as men are
not enlisted in our army as in Euro,
pean armies, at fixed intervals, but
come in irregularly. When 1t is re-
membered that our army is limited oy
law to 100000, and seldom has more
/ than 10000, and in case of war with
first-class power it would be neces-
sary to have Immediately much
larger force, a portion only of which
can be secured by filing up the reg
ular army to statutory strength and
bringing into the United States sell
vice the militia, also brought to sta,
tutory strength, it is evident to any,
one who gives the matter moments
| thought that we must have some sys-
tenn under which we can fill up these
organizations with trained men, and
not unframed ones, for to fill them
up with unframed men would be to
: destroy their efficiency; and In order
to All them quickiy-for modern wars
come with little notice-we must
have trained men in reserve; and in
e them through the regular army under
system of short enlistment and
employ a similar procedure in the
militia. This means that we must
adopt the shortest enlistment in both
establishments - the regular army
and the militia-consisten with reas
onably good training and as soon as
4 the men are trained replace them BY
- others What we want is sufficient
number of men SO trained as to be
q able to discharge their duties as sol
" diers with reasonable efficiency, AMI
A We want to establish this condition
with the minimum interference witt
the economic lives of the men affect
- ed. As the reserve must be consider
ably larger than the active establish
i'm ment, it is necessary that the perio'
- of service in the reserve must b.
longer than with the colors.
- Service in the reserve should b.
~ n - =. -,
will not be disturbed in their occupa
>. lions or residences, except in case o
~ war and for the instruction periods
this would not, believe, when under
stood, be objected to. The reservis
!, has entire liberty of residence, occl
~. patton, and movement during his pc
- iod in the reserve, and is required onl
90, TO keep the war department informe
of his whereabouts. There are man
- Young men who are anxious to receiv
-. military instruction who would b
~ glad to serve for short period in tn
;,,a army, but they can not afford to 6
~, into the army for long enlistment
~, The question which we ask ourselve
is, what is the minimum time niece
Sary 10 instruct man properly, pr
vided we are able to concentrate OIL
-, garrisons and SO arrange our militar
-. establishments that the bulk of I'll
-, mems time will be devoted purely
~ military work? Personally, belie'
"a this can be accomplished in twosy year
lila. and believe that as time goes on
nor will be wise to consider authorizing {
enlistment of not less than one ye
for men who have certain education
qualifications In other words, maj
mos 1t possible for this class of men WI
/ Is are going into business and profs
ava. sions to put in at least one year
ran. concentrated military training. Su
enc. man, under efficient instructio
aes would acquire more military knoN
: - edge than the average man does M
in three yearg. The shorter the {