Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1915-12-15

1
sume9 its healthful tasks. In the PEI
Torrance Of these tasks I believe tn,
Americas to be destined to play thei
parts together. am interested to a.
your attention on this prospect nov
because unless you take it within you
view and permit the full Significant,
OF it to command your thought | can
not find the right light in which to SCI
forth the particular matter that lie:
at the very front Of my whole thought
as l address you today. l mean ma
tional defense.
No one who really comprehends the
spirit of the great people for whom
we are appointed to speak can fail to
perceive that their passion is for
peace. their genius best displayed in
the practice OF the arts of peace. Great
democracies are not belligerent They
do not seek or desire war. Their
thought is OF individual liberty and OF
the free labor that supports life and
the uncensored thought that quickens
it. Conquest and dominion are not in
our reckoning. or agreeable to our
| principles. But just because we de
mand unmolested development and
the undisturbed government of our
own lives upon our own principles of
right and liberty, we resent, from
whatever quarter it may come. the ag-
erosion we ourselves will not prae-
tice We insist upon security in prose
cutting our self-chosen lines of nation
al development. We do more than that.
We demand it also for others.
Question Of Preparedness.
Out of such thoughts grow all our
policies. We regard war merely as a
means Of asserting the rights of a peo-
pie against aggression. And we are
as fercely jealous of coercive or die
tatorial power within our own nation
as Of aggression from without. We
viii not maintain a standing army ex-
cept for uses which are as necessary
In times Of peace as In times of war;
and we shall always see TO 1t that our
military peace establishment is no
larger than is actually and continu-
ously needed for the uses of days in
which no enemies move against US.
But we do believe in a body OF free
citizens ready and sufficient to take
care of themselves and OF the govern
ments which they have set up to serve
them.
But war has never been a mere mat
ter OF men and guns. 1t is thing of
disciplined might. II our citizens are
ever to fight effectively upon a sudden
summons, they must know how mod
ern fighting is DONE and what to do
when the summons comes to render
themselves Immediately available and
Immediately effective And the gov
eminent must be their servant in this
matter. must supply them with the
training they need to take care OF
themselves and OF II.
Il is with these ideals in mind that
the plans Of the department OF war
for more adequate national defense
were conceived which will be laid be-
fore you. and which urge you to
sanction and put into effect as soon
as they can be properly serutinized
and discussed They seem to me the
essential first steps. and they seem
to me for the present sufficient
Larger Army Plan.
They contemplate an increase of the
standing force of the regular army
from its present strength OF 5,023
officers and 102.9s5 enlisted men of
all services to a strength of 1886
officers and 134.7O7 enlisted men,
or 141.s43. all told, all services.
rank and file, by the addition
of ffty-two companies OF coast
artillery. tifteen companies Of engi-
neers, ten regiments os infantry. four
regiments of field artillery. and four
aero squadrons, besides T50 officers
required for a great variety of extra
service, especially the all important
duty of training the citizen force OF
which shall presently speak, 7s2
noneommissioned officers for serv-
ice in drill. recruiting and the
like. and the necessary quota OF en-
listed men for the quartermaster
corps. the hospital corps. the ord
nance department, and other similar
auxiliary services. These are the ad-
ditions necessary to render the army
adequate for its present duties. duties
which it has to perform not only upon
our own continental coasts and bor-
ders and at our interior army posts.
but also in the Philippines. In the
Hawaiian islands, at the isthmus. and
in Porto Rico.
By way of making the country ready
to assert some part OF it's real power
promptly and upon a larger scale.
should occasion arise. the plan also
contemplates experimenting the army
by force OF 100000 disciplined citi-
zens. raised in increments of i33,
900 a year throughout a period
OF three years. This It Is proposed
to do by process Of enlistment IN
der which the serviceable men of the
country would be asked to bind them
selves to serve with the colors for pur-
pose OF training for short periods
| throughout three years. and to come
to the colOrs at call at any time
throughout an additional "furIough"
period Of three years. This force of
100000 men would be provided with
| personal accoutrements as fast as
enlisted and their equipment for
the field made ready to be sup
| piled at any time They would be
assembled for training at stated in.
tervals at convenient places in asso-