Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1914-12-10
GARRISON WANTS
ARMY RECRUITED
TO WAR STRENGTH
Secretary, in Report, Advises
1000 More Officers and.
$4,000 Men Added.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1O--That the
United States army be Immediately re-
cruited to its full war strength. which
would mean the addition of $4,000
men and 1000 officers, is urged by
Secretary Garrison, of the War De-
partment, in his annual report pre-
sented yesterday to President Will
son.
Such an increase would give the
regular army total of about 100000
men, of whom $4,000 would be avail
able as a mobile fighting force in the
\ continental United States. The pres
'ent mobile strength of $1,000, the sec
retary points out, soon will be cut IN
half by additions to the garrisons i'll
the canal zone, Hawaii and the
Philippines. The report directly men,
tions the European war but once.
ut would be premature it says,
ito attempt now to draw the ultimate
lessons from the war in Europe. 1t
Is an imperative duty, however, to
heed so much of what it brings home
to us as is incontrovertible and not
TO be changed by any event, leaving
for later and more detailed and COM
prehensive consideration what its
later developments and final con-
conclusions may indicate"
In addition to strengthening khe
regular establishment the secretary
Urges that steps be taken at once to
create a more adequate reserve army.
He dismisses as impractlcable talk of
immediate disarmament, and as
groundless fears of militarism in
America. and recommends military
preparedness on the ground that
''eternal vigilance is the price which
must be paid in order to obtain the
desirable things of life and to defend
them
Strength of Militia.
''The organized militia of the va
rlous States totals 1925 officers and
1190S7 men. The enlisted men there
fore required, in order to obtain the
financial aid which the Congress au-
tforizes the Secretary of War to ex-
tend under certain conditions, to at
tend twenty-four drills a year and
FIVE days annually in the field. II all
of the national guard could be sum-
nnoned in the event of war ana
should all respond ian inconceivable
result, and if they We're all found
fairly efficient in the first line-that
Is, the troops who would be expected
to Immediately take the field-we
LOulQ SuIll1I1OIl a IOTCO III tilA5 OOuh-
try of regulars and national guard
amounting to ISIS officers and 14S,-
492 men. CThis would include only
regulars of fighting force stationed
in the United States proper) And
this is absolutely all. The only other
recourse would then be volunteers,
and to equip, organize, train and
make them ready would take. at the
smallest possible estimate, six
months.
anyone who takes the slightest
trouble to investigate will find that
in modern warfare a prepared enemy
would progress SO far on the way to
success in six months, If his antag-
onist had to wait six months to meet
him, that such unprepared antagon<
;st might as well concede defeat
without contest"
OF the efficiency of the present
army. Mr., Garrison says:
while our existing organization is
Of the exceedingly small numbers al
ready mentioned, 1t is unquestionably
in am, excellent condition as any
similar number of men in any other
military establishment In the world.
Were it not for a desire to avoid in