The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-12-03
INSURGENCY OF OUR ARMY

The plans of the War College att
Washington to increase the fighting
forces of the United States to 600 700
men, says the New York World, were
generally approved by ranking offic-
ers of the National Guard. They
would welcome an increase Of the
militia Of New York to $4,000 men.
Among those who discussed it for
the World was Maj.-Gen. John T.
Organ. generally regarded as one of
the best authorities on state military
affairs. He said that If the big army
was. to be developed successfully,
certain elementary principles must
be followed, among them:
Development in all the states of the
various branches Of the service, ar
tillei.y, cavalry, infantry, engineer
and signal corps in proper proper
tons.
Provision by the federal govern
ment of complete equipment for the.
enlarged service.
Payment Of small sum TO enlisted
men for each drill.
1TIe proposition to increase the
National Guard to 500, 900 men means
nothing in the way Of military as
sets" Gen. Organ said, unless
these 100000 men are 10 be soldiers,
clothed, armed, equipped, disciplinet,
and trained as such, and their reIi-
tions 10 the federal government es-
talolished and fixed by sound legisla-
ton.
s'This country has no military pol
icy. II. never did have one. The
weakness of our method of waging
war was well illustrated In 1898. The
term war can hardly be applied, II
least in modern sense Of the term
| to what took place in 1898.
st0ur activities consisted in sending
three espeditionary forces, one e
Cuba, ore to the Philippines and ons
to Porto Rico. In Porto Rico ~
battles were fought. In the Philip
pines our forces took the City q
Manila without serious opposition. Il
Cuba, but one engagement, namely
that at San Juan, was fought. Re
the latter engagement and the mill
tary operations connected with it re
suited in practical decentralization q
the army which constituted that ex
Il peditionary force.
1 Fortunately for US, the taking o
Santiago and the destruction of th
a Spanish feet and the taking be th
City of Manila, were sufficient To tel
inmate the war. But our people ger
orally do not know that approximate
lily 1000 Spaniards were the tota
force that opposed our entire arm
before Santiago, and that on the IS
and of Cuba at that time there wer
approximately 100000 Spanish so
diers trained in warfare on that IS
and and Injured TO the climate.
! "The condition of our army W.
such that its remnants were shippe
? promptly to Montauk Point. We he
2 nothing to replace them except rel;
lively small number Of efficient 70
Jnteer organizations. Much of Il
volunteer force was located IN eol
: centration camps, where they we
] kept busy attending to their own 81.
and burying their own dead, the I
! suit of typhoid fever and other can
diseases. What would have happe
: Ell to us If the 10000 Spanish ve
Grams on the island Of Cuba had be-
: directed to carry on the war is u
; pleasant to contemplate.
> seThe militia OF the country und
. existing plans consist Of twelve div
8 ions. A division numbers $4,000 me
SO that the militia would provide
g time of war a force Of 100000 me
e These divisions, however, other tn
= those of New York and Pennsylvani
= exist on paper only. The auxilia
Z army cavalry. artillery, engines
II signal, sanitary, etc. with few
ceptions, do not exist. They are =
4 divisions in any tactical sense"