The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-03-03
MODELLING DIFFICULTIES.

! When President Taft undertook to
mobilize 10000 men on the Mexican
frontier two years ago, he found u a
matter of extreme difficulty. In fact,
it was quite impossible to make the
| mobilization within the time desired
and ordered, and when the mobiIl1a-
tion was made, there was no cohesion
in the forces. the regiments even were
not complete, and there was practically
no such thing ms organization in ori-
cadcs and divisions. This was pointed
out at the time, and it led to very seri-
GUS consideration by our military au-
thorities. That consideration showed
that in fact we had no army in any
real sense. and resulted in the order re.
Gently issued, dividing the country into
divisional districts for military pur-
poses, and concentrating the regiments
into brieadcs and the brigades into di-
Visions
But it is too soon since that order
was issued to get any real benefit from
it. Accordingly. We find the same old
trouble now that the administration
has undertaken TO concentrate 10000
men at Galveston ready for anything
that may bo required in Mexico, The
result Of this effort is, as summed up
in the Springfield (Mass.) Republican,
that although the mobilization is a
small one, the same report is heard
everywhere; "No transport ships, no
trains for troops. Germany could land
ESQ 900 men in Mexico more easily and
quickly than we could tenth of that
number. - A report from Indianapo-
lis states that the Twenty-third regi-
ment bound for Galveston was held
'Fby inability to obtain railroad
coaches y At Leayenworth ''the rail
roads were not ready for three COM
panies of the engineer corps. At De.
troit two battalions of the Twenty
sixth Infantry Hwero delayed by lack
of train facilities. Our Massachu-
setts contemporary very justly says,
"such facts should put n quietus on
false heroics. - For wars of invasion
''this republic is unprepared, and let
us hope that it may ever be- lis Sc
curity lies in the potential strength for
resistance and its detachmcnts from
foreign quarrels
But this strength for resistance
would be found on trial 20 be quite on
q par with the strength for mobiliza-
ton as seen in these two efforts to
mobilize our troops, first, two years
ago to mobilize 10000 men, and now
IN the effort TO mobilize 10000 men at
Galveston II is idle to talk about mil.
itary efficiency at ali under the clrcum"
stances which developed such a COM
plete breakdown, We haven't the men,
we haven't tho organization, we have
no military training whatever. But
even for purposes Of defense We ought
to have an efficient force, and that
force ought to be so trained that 1T
will be Immediately available We
spend good deal on the army now,
but VIC neutralize the effect of that
expenditure by scattering the army
and absolutely ignoring all modern mil
itary methods and military conceatra-
tion and training, If we had an effec-
tive army Of about 100000 men in con
stant practice, in perfect organization
and mobility, then we, might have rea-
son to say something about our pre-
paredncss for defense. As il is now,
there is not one sensible word We can
say upon our military situation; either
! for practice or defense.