The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-07-29

ional Guard officer, has set about or
ganizing a Miami branch of the Nat
tional Security League, and has en-
listed the aid of number of prom
inent citizens.
Asked the purpose of the league,
from its literature which he had re-
ceived only day or so ago, and
said:
at is the purpose of the National
Security League to lay before the
country the plans of defense which
have been worked out by our mill
tary advisers-the general staff Of
the army and the general board of
the navy-and which have been ap-
proved by the successive admins
trations of the war and navy de-
partments, and it is then our pur-
pose to urge citizens to cooperate
in insisting that congress pay heed
to these advisers and make necessary
provision for the defense of the
country"
Captain Brossier declared that be-
sides the deficiencies of ships and
men in the navy, the army was also
in deplorable state of unprepared-
mes, and it was his opinion that this
condition should be corrected at
once. Regarding the army he said:
According to thelatest returns,
the actual strength of the army, ex-
elusive of the Philippine Scouts, is
4,572 officers and SS,444 men The
army is therefore 154 officers and
1888 men below its authorized
strength
The mobile army consists of 3d.
4S1 men in the United States prop
er, and 20,S63 men in our forei2n
possessions. OF the enlisted men of
the mobile army in the United
States, 1884 are in the field in
Texas and on the Mexican border,
,665 are in the field in Colorado,
245 are temporarily in Montana,
800 are in Arkansas, and only 9,317
are at their home or permanent sta
tions.
The aggregate enlisted strength
of thecoast artillery corps required
to man thecoast defense in the
United States is reported by the
chief of coast artillery to be 24,O75.
The actual number available is 49,
633. The aggregate enlisted strength
required to man the coast defense
possessions and soon to be completed
is 6.234. The actual number now
in those possessions is 2,56S. There
IS deficiency of 9,442 enlisted
men for the home coast defense and
1855 for those in our foreign pos
sessions"
According to the latest returns
the total strength of the organized
militia is 1929 officers and 119,OS7
enlisted men. Only eighty one per
cent of thetotal attended the annual
inspection, only a fraction over
seventy-three per cent attended the
camps of instruction, and less than
fifty three per cent had any prac-
tice with the rifle during the trget
season, and the number who quail
fed as second class men or betted
was a little over thirty-three per
cent.
'In the Philippines there is de.
ficiency of 33 per cent in the man
ming details Of thee cast defense Of
Manila and Subig Bay" and there
are only seven thousand mobile
American troops. The proposed
equipment of the Panama defens,
and of the Canal Zone in the matter
of coast defense and mobile troop,
is utterly insufficient, and so ais,
is garrison of five hundred mel
in Alaska.
1T is evident that our troops will
our present strength cannot rapid
assemble sufficient force full,
equipped for fielA operations to NEE
an expedition such as might be dis
patched against our shores"
Army Reserves-Sixteen Men
All of the army organizations i
the United States are on what
known as a peace footing, rangin
from one-half to two-thirds of tn
war footing, but we have a reserv
that is men who have been train
ed in the army and under the term
of their enlistment are subject t
be called back to the colors in time
of war-but that reserve consists {
only sixteen men.
On June 80, 1914 the country ha
mobile army in the continents
United States, 1.495 officers and rs
405 men. If all of the Nation.
Guard could be summoned in til
event of war and should respond,
doubtful result, we could summo
force in this country, regula
army and national guard, amour
ing to S,S1S officers and 14S,49
men.
This would be absolutely al
The only other resource would the
be volunteers, and to equip, organ
ize and train and make them read
would take at the smallest possib
estimate six months.