Arizona republican., 1913-03-10
Major General William W.
 Wotherspoon Says We
 Should Concentrate At tention Upon Unprepar- edness to Meet Emergency
ACTUAL MILITARY
 TRAINING NECESSARY
Army Reserve Should Also Be Created That Will Mean Something to Unit ed States on Call to Arms

WASHINGTON, March Eve will stop this useless efort to restore the canteen and give our attention to something practical like efficient or ganization and equipment of the army remarked General William W. Wother- spoon, assistant chief of staff. U. $. A, while several men were discussing mil itary matters.
 whatever opinion we have about the canteen the fact remains that con gress will not restore it, and we should concentrate our attention upon the un- preparedness of the army for a sudden emergency requiring good troops that are well trained and officers who have had experience in handling military units in tactical organization.
 Tn my opnion we have wasted years and reams of paper writing about the advantage and necessity for restoring the canteen at army posts, when we would have been better engaged in pointing out the necessity for actual military training, and for creating an army reserve that will mean something in time of war, and which will put us in a position to meet a sudden call to arms. for we all know that the United States has never been prepared in any of the wars that we have fought.
 We may. and many of us do, believe that the canteen at army posts would be an improvement over the present system, but it is 8 more practical mat ter to bend our energies to obtaining more efficient and economical ad- ministration of the army, by having it concentrated so that it's regiments will be assembled it's brigades formed, and divisions organized preparatory to war. so that the officers and men may know the meaning of real military duty and training and thus be prepared for the duties for which the army is main- tained
 Year after year the reports of of- ficers have much to say about the can teen And all this time the recommen- dations of commanding officers and sec retaries of war on this subject have been ignored by congress evidentally because the sentiment of the country has been averse to the canteen and because there is a belief among the prohibition advocates that the canteen was inimical to temperance. We have.
 
 canteen restoration. On the other hand I believe that there is a. sentiment in this country in favor of we'll train ] CT. adequate, and efficient army not 1 an army in name, scattered far and wide, without officers of experience in 1 handling large bodies of troops and men only partially under drill and dis l Ciplne. The American people do not ask for large army. but they want the army we have sufficient. There can be no doubt that they will cheer fully support a first class army organ ization, just as they have supported navy.
 When I speak of turning attention from a fight to restore the canteen to an effort toward efficiency and better organization, I do not mean that it rests entirely with army officers. but it ap- plies to the friends of the army in every part of the country. What I l would like to impress upon everybody interested in the army is that We should turn to the practical questions and leave the impossible alone"