The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-12-08
essential first steps. and they seem x
mo Tor the present sufficient.
ARMY Program.

ARMY Program.
They contemplate an increase OF the
| standing force OF the regular army
| from it's present strength OF SOFA Of
ftcers and 102,as5 enlisted men of all
| services IN strength of 7,1s6 Officers
| and 1874, 7o7 enlisted men. or 14t.s4a
all told, ali services rank and file, by
the addition OF fifty-two companies
Of coast artillery. fifteen companies OF
| engineers. ten regiments OF infantry
four regiments of field artillery and
four aero squadrons. besides $50 off
Gers required for n great variety OF
extra service. especially the all impor-
tant duty of training the citizen force
| Of which | shall presently speak, T99
| commissioned officers for service
In driH. recruiting and the like, and
the necessary quota of enlisted men
for the Quarterinaster Corps. the Hos
pital Corps, the Ordnance Department
and other similar auxiliary services.
Those are the additions necessary to
render the armv adequate for It's pres
ent duties, duties which IL has to per
form not only upon our own con-
tinental coasts and borders and at our
interior army posts, bat 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
.
scale, should occasion arise, the pia n
also cortempiates experimenting the
army by force of 400. 900 disciplined
citizens, raised in increments of 1a3.-
600 a year throughout a period of
j three years. This 1t IL proposed to
! do ny a process of enlistment under
/ which the serviceable men of the
| country would be asked to bind them '
selves to serve with the colors for pur :
poses 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
7 100000 men would be provided with
/ personal announcements as fast az en-
listed. and their equipment for the
feld made ready to be supplied at any
time. They would he assembled FOR
training at stated intervals at con-
ven!ent places in association with suit
( able units of the regular army. Their
period OF annual training would not
necessarily exceed two months In the
I year.
1t would depend upon the patriotic
I feeling OF the younger men Of the
depend ypon the patriotic spirit of the
country whether they responded TO
such a call 10 service or not 1t would
employers of the country whether
/ they made 1t possible for the younger
men in their employ to respond under
| favorable conditions or not T. for
| one. DO not doubt the patriotic devo-
ton either OF our young men or of
thse who give them employment
+ those for whose benefit and protec-
ton they would in fact enlist. | would
look forward to the success Of such an
experiment with entire confidence.
/ AT least so much by way Of prepare
ton for defense seems to me to be
absolutely imperative now. We can
| not do less.
+ Navy Program
| The program, which will be laid be-
I fore you by the Secretary of the Navy
ia similarly conceived 1t involves
only a shortening of the time within
! which plans long matured shall be
carried out. but il does make definite
and explicit a program which has
heretofore heen only implicit, held In
the minds of the Committees on Naval
/ Affairs and disclosed in the debates
OF the two houses, but nowhere formu-
lated or formally adopted 1t seems
10 me very clear that IT WIN be to the
advantage of the country for the Con.
gress 70 adopt a comprehensive plar
for putting the navy upon final foot.
! ing of strength and efficiency and tC
= press that plan to completion withir
he next FIVE years. We have always
fobkSU TO tbe navy OF Lne country
our first and chief line of defense; we
have always seen It to be our NANTES
course of prudence to be strong or
the seas, Year by year we have beer
creating a navy which now ranks yer,
: high. indeed. among the navies OF tn,
: maritime nations We should nov
definitely determine how we shall
: complete what we have begun, ant
. how soon.
q RI n la hAf
contempiates the construction within
! five years of ten battleships, six BATH,
cruisers, ten scout cruisers. fifty de
stroyers, fifteen feet submarines
eighty-tive coast submarines, fou
gunboats, one hospital ship. two am
munition ships. two fuel oil ships, ant
: one repair ship 1t is proposed tina
I of this number we shall the first yea
t provide FOX the construction of twt
7 battleships two battle cruisers tire,
E scout cruisers, fifteen destroyers, fiv,
z iieet submarines. twenty-five coas
= submarines two gunboats and on'
F, hospital ship, the second year, two
{ battleships, one scout cruiser. ten de
! stroycrs four Ueet submarines. fiftecr
coast submarines, one gunboat ant
one fuel oil ship; the third year, TIVE
nattieships. one battle cruiser, tw,
: scout cruisers. I've destroyers. TIVE
fleet Submarines and fifteen coast sub
marines, tho fourth year, two battle
| hlps,-1Wo- hattie cruisers. two scou
: cruisers, ten destroYerS, two fleet sub
; marines. fifteen coast suima rines on,
ammunition ship and one fuel oil ship
and the fitth year. two battieshtps, on,
) battle cruiser. two scout cruisers ter
destroyers, TWO feet submarines, IF
teen coast submarines, one gunbost
one ammunition snip and one repair
: ship.
The Secretary of the Navy il ask
r ing also for the immediate addition
10 the personnel Of the navy of !, 60t
saiiors $500 apprentice seamen ans
) ,auo marines. This increase wouI,
be sufficient 70 care for the chip.
which are to be completed within til.
fiscal year ial1 and also for ths mum
; bcf Of nen which must he put II
training ia msn the ships which viii
be completed early in 1878. 1T lis alst
necessary that the number OF mid
shipmcn at the Naval Academy a
Annapolis should be increased by a.
least 500 In order that tho force o.
officers should be more rapidly addet
to; and authority is asked to appoint
for engineering duties only, approved
graduates of engineering colleges
and for service in the aviation corps .
--cartain- numher- Of man takan from
civil life.