East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1913-04-21

able, in case of war; to put into the
field a vast army of scientifically
trained soldiers at a moments no
tice. 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 reserve
service If the plan as outlined in de-
tail by General Wood carries, it would
mean that every man who has served
his short enlistment term has become
a member of the reserves. would be
liable to call to colors in the event of
war.
(By Major General Leonard Wood,
Chief of staff, L. S. Al
BY short enlistment should not be
understood an enlistment so short
that proper instruction can not be
given. but an enlistment which is
long enough to instruct the men thor
oughly, and no longer. In other words
we want to instruct our men thor
oughly in order that they may be
able to perform efficiently the duties
of a soldier in time of war. AS soon
as this instruction is completed. they
should return to their economic oc-
cupations and be replaced by other
men. The change. of course, will be
gradual, as men are not enlisted in
our army as in European armies. at
fixed intervals, but come irregularly.
When it is remembered that our army
is limited by law to 100000, and sell
\ nd IN
case of war with a first class power
it would be necessary to have imme-
diately a much larger force, a por-
ton only of which can be secured by
filling up the regular army to stat
utory strength and bringing into the
United States service the militia, also
brought to statutory strength. it is
evident to anyone who gives the mat
ter a moments thought that we must
have some system 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 eff
cheney; and in order to fill them
quickly-for modern wars come with
little notice-we must have trained
men in reserve; and in order to have
them, we must send them through
the regular army under a system of
short enlistment, and employ a sim
liar procedure in the militia. This
means that we must adopt the short
est enlistment in both establish
ments-the regular army and the mi
litia-consistent with reasonably good
training, and as soon as the men are
trained replace them by others. What
we want is a sufficient number of
men so trained as to be able to dis
charge their duties as soldiers with
reasonable efficiency, and we want
to establish this condition with the
minimum interference with the eco
nomic lives of the men effected. AS
the reserve must be considerably
larger than the active establishment,
it is necessary that the period of SER
vice in the reserve must be longer
than with the colors.
Service in the reserve should be
with the understanding that the men
will not be disturbed in their oCcupa-
tions or residences, except in case of
war and for the instruction periods;
this would not believe, when under
stood, be objected to. The reservist
has entire liberty of residence, Occu-
patton and movement during his pc
riod in the reserve, and is required
only to keep the war department in
formed of his whereab bouts. There
are many young men who are anxious
TO receive military instruction who
would be glad to serve for a short pc
riod in the army. but they can not
afford to 90 into the army for a long
enlistment. The question which we
ask ourselves is. what is the mini
mum time necessary to instruct a
man propedly, provided we are able
TO concentrate our garTisons and so
arrange our military establishments
that the bulk Of the mems time will
be devoted purely to military work.
Personally, I believe this can be ac-
cOmplished in two years, and / be-
lieve that as time goes on it will be
wise to consider authorizing an en-
listment of not less than one year for
men who have certain educational
qualifications. In other words. make
it possible for this class of men who
are going into business and profess
sions to put in at least one year OF
concentrated military training. Such
a man, under efficient intruction
would acquire more military knowl-
edge than the average man does now
in three years. The shorter the en-
lisment period the higher the class
Of recruits; that is to say men who are
anxious to qualify themselves to
serve as soldiers, but who have the
plans of their lives work more or
less laid out. can not afford to go in
for long term Of enlistment, but
they could afford to go in for a short
term of instruction, and many of
them would do so.
/ believe in an enlistment period
with the colors of three years, with
the possibility Of transferring to the
reserve after two years, provided the
man shows himself to be thoroughly
well instructed. Speaking most con-
servatively, ten men can be maintain
ed in the reserve for the cost of
maintaining one man with the colOrs,