Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1914-11-27
ASKS 100000 men
GENERAL WoTHERsPooN SAYS
PRESENT FORCE INADEQUATE
TO DEFEND CANAL.
OUTLINES A RESERVE PLAN
Would Have Mobile Army Of 100000
Troops Ready for Six Months Cam
paign-Must Have Big and Efficient
Force.

Washington, Nov. 2a.-That the
Panama canal and the foreign posses
sions of the United States r weakly
protected against attack by any first
class military power, because Of the
present inadequate strength Of the
army. Is the opinion expressed by Gen
W ". Wotherspoon, chief of the gen
eral staff, in his annual report Gen
eral Wotherspoon. recognized as one
of the master minds in the couHtry's
military affairs, suggests pointedy
that it would be impossible to retain
our possessions against the operation
of any military power. unless an army
of sufficient size be provided
Necessity for a mobile force of 506.-
GOO thoroughly trained and equipped
lighting me- in the first tine OF the
military esta Dlishment, and the need
for a secondary force OF 100000. con
sistiQg of a thoroughly trained force
Of organized militia. is urged in the
report. In a scheme to provide such
a mobile force General Wotherspoon
declares that the policy to be followed
should include the primary plan OF
using the standing army as a school
for training men who would pass into
the reserve, and eventuallv constitute
the real national military strength
To build up this mobile force General
Wotherspoon declares that the size
Of tho regular or standing army should
be about 205. 900 enlisted men
The report states that on November
Is the latest returns showed the &C
tual strength of the army to be 4,572
officers and SS.444 enlisted men, The
total strength of field forces is less
than $1,000 enlisted men.
Discussing the distribution OF the
army. as 1t affects our foreign posses
sions. General Wotherspoon says:
THAT the great waterway of the
Panama canal cannot be protected
against the operations Of a first-cIass
military power by the present or pro
posed garrison we contemplate piac
ing there. without the power and abil
ity to REINFORCE it rapidly by troops
from the United States, is manifest;
that an effective defense against ar
e~nterprising enemy in the Philippines
could be made with a deficiency of 8;
per cent of the mounting details 81
the coast defenses of Manila and Su
big bay. and with a mobile force of {
little over 1000 American troops. sup
plemented by less than 5000 Philip
pine scouts. is manifestly impossible
that we can retain our valuable terri
tory of Alaska in its isolated position
by placing there a garrison Of ies'
than 500 men. verges on the ridicu
lous. unless we have ample forces a
home to occupy that territory in tbs
very earliest stages of impending con
f1ict: all military persons recogn1z,
that the proposed garrison in the Ha
wafian islands is far below what !
should be to meet a serious attack
unless we have on the Pacific coas1
an ADEQUATE force ready to dispatch
when trouble is impending"
While the isolation of the Unitet
States by water from the other grea
powers is admitted in the report [,
be an rndoubted protection. that pro
lection is declared to be limited b,
two main factors-the power Of oul
fleet to protect the country from in
vasion ever these seas: and. secondly
bur ability to asse Bile rapidly at tn
points of debarkation. selected by al
enemy an adequate force to delay. !
not prevent. his effecting a lodgmen
on orr shores The difficulty thus pre-
scented is illustrated by the fact tina
an enemy ~traversing the seas Nigh
have a wide choice Of landing points
or points Of attack.