Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-12-10
GARRISON CALLS IN
A n N Al REPO RT
OR BIGGER ARMY

Washington, Dec. 9.--That the United
States army be Immediately recruited 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 department, in his annual report pre-
scented to-day to President Wilson
Such an increase would give the regular
army a total of about 10000 men, of whom
$4,000 would be available a mobile fight
Ing force in the Continental United
States. The present mobile strength of
81 coo, the secretary points out soon will
be cut in half by additions to the garri-
sons in the Canal Zone, Hawaii and the
Philippines.
In addition to STRENGTHENING the regu
lar establishment the secretary urges
that steps be taken at once to create a
more adequate reserve army. He dis
misses as impracticablc talk of immediate
disarmament. and as groundless fears NJ
milterism in America, and recommends
military preparedness on the ground that
eternal vigilance is the price which must
be paid in order to obtain TIE desirable
things Of life and to defend them"
The present full war strength Of the
United states is summarized by the re-
port as follows:
The organized militia Of the various
States totals $500 officers and 119.Os7 men,
The enlisted men therefore required, in
order to obtain the financial aid which the
Congress authorizes the secretary of war
to extend under certain conditions, to at
md "A drills year and Ave days annu-
al.J in the field If all of the national
guard could be summoned In the event If
Wal ADD should all respond ian inconcev
able result, and If they were all found
fairly efficient in the first line--that Is,
the troops who would be expected to i'm
med!ute!y take the ield-we could sum-
mon force in this country of regulars
and national guard amounting to ISIS Of
fcers and 1882 mon. (This would in
clude only regulars of fighting forces sta
toned in the United states propcrD
Ana this is absolutely all The only
other recourse would then be volunteers,
ana 70 EQUIP organize train and make
them ready would take, at the smallest
possible estimate SIX months.
Anyone who takes the slightest trou-
Die TO investigate VIII find that in mod
ern warfare prepared enemy would
| progress so far on the way to success
in six months, if his antagonist had to
unprepafed antagonist might as well con-
: cede defeat without contest
: OF the efficiency Of the present army
Mr.. Garrison says.
While our existing organization Is Of
the exceedingly small numbers already
Z mentioned, it is Enthusiastically in an ex-
lce!lent condition as any similar number
of men In any other military establish
mont In the world We're IL a
desire to avoid invidious comparisons
should say that man for man, 1t is bet
ter than any similar existing military
establishment in the world. do not be-
lieve that anyone will dispute the state
ment that the army has never beon ,r
better condition that it Is to-day from
the most recently enlisted man up to the
highest officers. There is an esprit dc
corps an eaEerness to constantly strive
toward perfection, willingness 10 I'M
dertake and satisfactorily perform any
and every duty, that is most commend
able and encouraging
Passing to the need for larger army
regular and reserve. the secretary dis
cusses ut some length peace and the us,
of the word "milltarlsm." touching upor
the mooted question of whether milltar!
f''l'hI ''ei'll t'iI'N " prevent war
1T also seems proper. in passing. t,
refer to the franz of mind OF those VIII,
use the word militarsm as the EN-
bodiment OF the doctrine of brute fore
and loosely apply il to any orga nize,
preparation of military force, and there
fore deprecate any adequate mlitar,
direction of the condemned militia rism
Every nation must have adequate fore
20 protect itself from domestic insurrec
tion, 10 enforce It's laws and to repe
inVaslonS' that Is every nation that ha
similar characteristics to those OF n self
respecting man. " 1t prepares and main
tans more military force than is neces
sary for the purposes lust named tho,
II is subject to .hc conviction. in III
public opinion OF the world. OF havi,
embraced 'militarisrn' unless, IT intend
aex,e ssion for a cause which the puhl,
opinion OF the world conceivcs to he
righteous one To the extent however
that 1t confines its military prepar3dncs
tt the purposes FIRST mentioned there
neither warrant nor Justification in char
acterizirg such action as 'miiitsrlsm'
Equally useless. in my view, Is tn
discussion frequently INDUCED IN as i.
whether military prepa ration tends G
does not tend to avoid war"