The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-12-10
SECRETARY GARRISON
 WANTS ARMY RAISED
 TO ITS PULL STRENGTH

It might be well worth while to de- wise ways and means of organizing into a volunteer motor transportation reserve the motor vehicles adaptable to military use.
 Transmitting his recommendations Mir Garrison writes in part:
 My recommendation of what we should immediately do is to fil up the existinIg organization which ~comnOse the aggregate mobile army force just mentioned to their full strength. This would require 25,0O0 men. In addition to the enlisted men just mentioned, we should be authorized to obtain l, .. coo more officers. The legislation to accomplish these purposes would De of the very simplest characted, being merely authorization to the Depart ment to do these things.
 "An increase of the enlisted per- sonnel of the army by 25Oo0 men would accomplish three fold results It would, as before mentioned, bring up to full strength the enlisting units Of the mobile army in continentat United States and thus supply a more adequate force. Second, it would af- ford training for the officers in the command. of such units as they must command in time of war and would prevent as for, as the regular army Lis concerned, the crowding/ of the ranks with raw levies which always
  l organizations into which they come. Third, it would be a wise investment from the standpoint of economy, in that no material increase of over head charges would be necessary, and the addition of these men could be effected at a per capita cost to the government of about sone-third the per capita. cost under existing condi- ions
 By the time these 25, GOO men could procured the mobile forces in the nited States as hereinbefore pointed Ut, would number "A, SOP; so that af- lsar the addition mobile army in con mental United States would consist of 4s 6o2. men.
 With the army thus increased, we would then be able to undertake the next necessity, which is absolutely inn. perative, and that the preparation of l a reserve. The present legislation utterly useless for the purpose, it having produced in twenty-four months only sixteen men. and there l is little or no hope that it will ever properly accomplish it's purpose. The reasons why it will not do so it is not profitable to discuss.
 1T am fairly convinced that if we can use the standing army as a school through which to pass men who come into it with the knowledge that if they are proficient they can be dis 1 charged at any time after year or eighteen months we will begin at once to build up the necessary re- l the military history of this country, have something approxfmating a bal l anced organization l 1a1n therefore firmly convinced that we should have immediate leg isIation dealing with the matter of enlistment and reserve A practically similar provision should exist in every state which maintains an organized
 militia. It is just as essential that I the organized militia should have a proper reserve to fill up its ranks as lis is that the regular army should. 1 am convinced with equal firm nessthat we should adopt some one or more of the methods which have been suggested for the training. of more civilians to become officers in case of necessity. The potentiality of the student military camps and of the schools and colleges at which military training is obtainable suggests a fruitful source of accomplishing this purpose
 T T realize that one of the matters l which will be much debated in con- I nection with this whole sub ject will be the matter of expense. [ do not
 overlook this, but think that those who are charged with responsibility
 on behalf of the public should realize
 the greatness of that responsibility;
 should realize the unanswerable in-
 dictment that will lie against them il
 they shrink from mourning expense
 for what Is vita to the Nation. Wher
 one has reached the conclusion, as ]
 have, that a minimum of military J preparedness is essential, the Ques ton of it's cost is secondary and can.
 not be permitted to be the determin.
 ing factor. No citizen will or COT
 properly object to the exjenditure oi . money for vital national purposes 2