The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1914-12-10
WAR SECRETARY
WANTS ARMY To
FULL STRENGTH
REPORT RENDERED TO
PRESIDENT URGES IMMEDIATE
RECRUITING OF LAND FORCES
TO COMPLETE WAR FOOTING
AND GIVES REASONS FOR SUCH
ARGUMENT.
BIZ ASSOCIATED PRESS

1000 officers, is urged by Secretary
lGarrison, of the war department, in his
4 annual report presented today to Pres
ident Wilson.
/ Such an increase would give the
regular army a total OF about 10, O0C
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 81 900, the Sec
rotary points out, soon will be cut In
half by additions to the garrisons in
the canal zone, Hawaii and the Philip
pines.
| The report directly mentions the Ed
rOpean war but once.
TT would be premature" it says "to
attempt now to draw the ultimate les
sons from the war in Europe. It 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 &ompre-
hensive consideration what it's 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 a more adequate reserve army.
He dismisses as impracticable talk OF
Immediate disarmament, and as
grOundless fears of miIitarism in
America, and recommends military
preparedness on the ground that 'eter-
nal 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
he nP
tons, followed by actual disarmament
thereof. of international courts OF arbi-
tration, and other greatly-to-be-de-
sired measures to lesson or prevent
conflict between nation and nation"
says the report, "we all know that at
present these conditions are not exist
ing. We can and will eagerly adapt
ourselves to each benef1cent develop
ment along these lines; but. to merely
enfeeble ourselves in the meantime
would, in nay view, be unthinkable
folly. BY neglecting and refusing to
provide ourselves with the necessary
means of self-protection and self-de-
Tense we could not hasten or in any
way favorably influence the ultimate
results we desire in these respects"
Full War Strength.
The present full war strength Of the
United States is summarized by the
report as follows:
1.-THE organized militia of the vari-
GUS states totals 1928 officers and
,0S7 men. The enlisted men there
fore required, in order to obtain the
financial aid which the congress au-
thorizes the secretary of war to extend
under certain conditions, to attend "a
drills a year and days annually IN
the field. If all of the national guard
could be summoned in the event OF
war and should all respond Can incon-
ceivable result), and If they were all
found fairly efficient in the first line
that is, the troops who would be ex-
pected to Immediately take the field
we could summon force in this
country of regulars and national guard
amounting to 9,S1S officers and 1882
men. (This would include only regu-
lars 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 esti-
mate, six months.
Anyone who takes the slightest
trouble to investigate will find that in !
modern warfare a prepared enemy !
success in six months, If his antagonist |
had to wait six months to meet him, |
that such unprepared antagonist might !
as well concede defeat without con- |
test"
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 l
lar number OF men in any other mill |
tary establishment in the world. We're /
1t not for desire to avoid inVidiouS
should say that man for
man, 1t is better than any similar
existing military establishment in the
world. / do not believe that anyone
win dispute the statement that the
army has never been in better condi-
ton than it is today, from the most
enlisted man up to the highest
There is an esprit de corps,
an eagerness to constantly strive to-
ward perfection, willingness to un- ,
lertake and satisfactorily perform any
md every duty, that is most com.
and encouraging"
Passing to the need for a larger
lrmy, regular and reserve, the secre-
AIRY discusses at some length peace
and the use OF the word militartSm"
ouching upon the mooted question Of
whether military preparation tends to
prevent war. /.
Need of Larger Army. II
1T is, Of course, not necessary to
lwell on the blessings OF peace and /
he horrors OF war;" he says. Every
ne desires peace, just as every one
esires health, contentment, affection, 1
uffRcfent means for comfortable ]
existence. and otl1sr similarly bene- ]
lcient things. BIT peace and the