Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-12-12

/
United States army be Immediately
recruited to it's full war strength.
which would mean the addition of
| by Secretary Garrison of the war de-
partment, in his annual report pre-
scented today to President Wilson.
Such an increase would give the
regular army a total Of about 10000
of whom $4,000 would be available
as mobile fighting force in the con-
tinental United States. The present
mobile strength of $1,000, the secre-
tary points out, soon will be cut in
half by additions to the garrisons in
the canal zone, Hawaii and the Phil
ippines.
The report directly mentions the
European war but once.
1T wouldsbe premature" it says, ito
attempt now to draw the ultimate les
| sons 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 compre-
hensive consideration what its later
developments and final conclusions
may Indicate"
! In addition to Strengthening the
regular establishment, the secretary
urges that steps be taken at once to
| create more adequate reserve army
He dismisses as impracticable 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 de-
sirable things of life and to defend
them"
Whatever the future may hold in
| the way of agreements between ma
tons, followed by actual disarmament
thereof, Of international courts Of arbi-
tration, and other greatly to be desired
measures to lessen or prevent conflict
| between nation and nation" says the
| report, 1--WE all know that at present
these conditions are not existing. We
can and will eagerly adapt ourselves
to each beneficent development along
these lines; but to merely enfeeble
ourselves in the meantime would, in
my view, be unthinkable folly. By
neglecting and refusing to provide
ourselves with the necessary means of
! protection and self-defense we
| could not hasten or in any way favor
ably influence the ultimate results we
desire in these respects"
| The present full war strength OF the
| United States is summarized by the
report as follows:
''The organized militia of the vari-
GUS states total 1928 officers and 49,
| iSf fhprotNrn
required, in order to obtain the finan-
the secretary of war to extend under
certain conditions, to attend twenty
four drills year and five days annual
| ly in the field. II all of the national
guard could be summoned in the event
Of war and should all respond (an IN
conceivable result. and if they were
all found fairly efficient in the first
line-that is, the troops who would be
expected to Immediately take the field
we could summon a force in this
country of regulars and national
guard amounting to 9,S1S officers and
1854 men. (This would include on
ly regulars of fighting force stationed
in the United States proper.
| And this is absolutely ALL The
only other recourse would then be vol
unteers, 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 antagonist
might as we'll 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, it is unquestionably
in as excellent condition as any SINH
lar number of men in any other mill,
tary establishment in the world Were
lit not for desire to avoid invid1ous
comparisons I should say that man for
man, it is better than any similar ex'
listing military establishment in the
world. | do not believe that anyone
will dispute the statement that the
army has never been in better condi-
ton than it is today, from the most
RECENTLY enlisted man up to the high
est officers. There is an esprit de
corps, an eagerness to constantly
strive toward perfection, Willingness
to undertake and satisfactorily per
form any and every duty, that is most
commendable and encouraging
Passing to the need for a larger
army, regular and reserve, the secre
tary discusses at some length peace
and the use of the word "militarism,'
touching upon the mooted question OF
whether military preparation tends tc
prevent war.
"It is, of course, not necessary tC
dwell on the blessings of peace and
the horrors of war" he says. Every
one desires peace, just as every one
desires health, contentment, affection
sufficient means for comfortable exist
ence, and other similarly beneticent
things. But peace and the other
states of being just mentioned are not
always or even often solely >Wlthln
ones own control. 1t may truthfully
be said that eternal vigilance is the
hn