New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-11
Secretary Garrison JOINS lhoSe
Who Are "Nervous and tx
cited" About the National
DefenceS.


Wilson'S Aabby rhetoric from stem to stern Inc
President is greatly annoyed because the puon'
&c demanding a thorough-going inquiry n'o '"o
state Of The nations defences. lie is sun hiole
ANNOYED at the thought that the results Oh Such
o., inouirv may compel Congress to supplement
our present military resources In his message
Sc Tuesday last he said: LET there be no mis-
concention. The country has been misintormed'
We have not been negligent of national defence
Moreover, he announced that the admihiS'r"'
tion's policy would be to stand pat on conditions
a. tb.v are. eve shall not alter our attitude
toward il 1.-THE national defencel because some
amongst us are nervous and excited some
amongst us" was a happy phrase. Mr. wilson
undoubtedly intended it to include The tribune
Senator Lodge, Representative Gardner ana
other unsympathetic critics too numerous to men
ton who in his opinion have been trying TO proc
an administration little easy-going, perhaps
but proudly conscious of being entirely equal 10
lie responsibilities Could he have realized when
he penned the phrase that it struck good deal
nearer home than that? Could he have Sus'
pected that even in his own Cabinet there was
critic prepared to prove that, so far as the army
e concerned. the requirements of the national
defence have been very seriously neglected!
Secretary Garrisons report disposes in COM
mon sense fashion of Mr.. Wilson's remarkable
contention that the United States depend in
case of a sudden outbreak of war on her UNI
organized "citizenry." AS said on Tuesday,
tv the time the said 'citzenry" could be put into
the field all the damage which invaders could do
would already be done. Mr.. Garrison is perfectly
clear on that point. He says that under existing
conditions, using all the mobile regular army,
calling out all its reserves and adding the total
strength of the organized militia, 1--WE could sum-
mon force in this country of regulars and
national guard amounting to HOP officers and
l64,S87 men," There our real resources would
end. 1t would, as the Secretary confesses, be IAN
inconceivable result" if the national guard could
be modified at full strength. Therefore it would
be safer to put our maximum mobile force at not
more than 100000. Of this pitful showing the
Secretary says:
And this is absolutely all The only other re-
course would then be volunteers and t. equip organ
ize, train and make them ready would take at the
smallest possible estimate six months. Any one who
takes the slightest trouble to investigate will find
that in modern warfare a prepa I'd enemy would
progress far the way TO success In six months
If his antagonist had to wait SIX months 10 meet
him, that such unprepared antagonist might as well
eoneede defeat without contest.
So much for the Presidents dream of "citi-
zenry" in arms which is to be our best reliance
against invasion.
Mr. Garrison proves beyond question that the
army's development has been grossly neglected
Ir continental United States, he says we had in
the mobile army on June 80 last only 1859 off
GERS and 45,SOO men. 1t will soon be necessary
TO send more troops to the Philippines, Hawaii
and the Isthmian Canal Zone, and the mobile
force will then be reduced to 24,602 The Sec
rotary holds, therefore, that the regular army
that the officers corps should be increased by
1000
Moreover, we need real instead of farcica
reserve. The present reserve, created by the
foolish long-term enlistment provisions OF the
Hay army bill, incorporated rider on one
Of the army appropriation bills, amounts to just
sixteen men, We require reserve as big as the
regular army itself, and we can get one only by
reducing the term Of enlistment and allowing the
Secretary of War TO transfer men from active
duty into the reserve at the end of twelve months
service. As Mr.. Garrison aptly points out, the
advocates Of long enlistments, small regular
army and no reserve argue that soldiers cannot
be trained sufficiently in twelve months and then
turn around and say that in time of war we
must depend on a "citizenry" with only three
months or four months Of training
The Secretary Of War further shows that the
army has not enough artillery artillery am
munition, properly developed aviation service
or good motor car service. There is unpre-
psrcdness all along the line, and legislation is
needed to-day almost as revolutionary in char
acter az the reorganization legislation following
the Spanish war Yet Mr.. Wilson says that
those who have been urging an investigation Of
the national defenccs are nervous" excited