The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-09-01
VALUE OF SOUTH AMERICAN Ma
TONS In MEXICO
GIVE us MORAL SUPPORT
Summary of the Strength of the Re-
publicS Which Have Taken Their
Stand With the United States in an
Of Mexico.

40FlCaClOQ the nine TepuUllCS O1 SOuIu
America decide to take part in the
scheme to spank Mexico into behav-
ing. This may Lead to a compulsory
proof or demonstration of armed
strength. How much of a show
down" can the nine republics make?
To one person who has very good
working knowledge Of the numerical,
fghting power of the nations Of Tu-
rope and Asia. there are dozen who
are absolutely ignorant Of what South
America might be expected to do if
it's governments took up arms. Every
other little dinkey country of the
globe has been tolled off for its war
strength on sea and land. but our
southern neighbors of the Western
Hemisphere have remained behind a
sort of statistical veil. And this. too:
despite the fact that decent sense
of reciprocal aid as return for our
maintenance of the Monroe Doctrine
might always be expected of them.
According to the war department
and various official compilers Of these
South American countries the COM
bined peace footing Of the armies OF
the nine republics aggregates 115,-
653 trained soldiers. The statisti.
clans differ concerning the strength
of the reserve in total. 1t is Ger
tainIy not less than 366,429 officers
and men, and, there is good reason to
believe that it may reach the high
figure if 1,403,S40, according to the
Interpretation Of the word reserve by
the nations OF Europe.
It is safe to assume that the nine
nations can muster for service out
side their own countries $4,000 arm
ed men of their standing armies and
a reserve (combined) of 100000
men. This amount of help Uncle
Sam might reasonably expect.
There are those who will pooh
pooh the idea of countries possessing
a total population Of only 52,2OS,O99
furnishing this number of men, and
they will contend that war time
squeeze in the way of CONSUMPTION
will yield ten times this number.
All very good to argue this way, but
the safe and wise computers put
down about 100000 men as the num-
Der OF fighters who might be efec-
lively assembled under one compre-
hensive scheme Of warfare. A crisis,
Of course, will yield more.
With respect to aid on the sea, the
aggregate naval strength of the nine
republics is about one hundred and
four war vessels. OF these, eight are
dreadnoughts, fourteen protected
cruisers, seven armored cruisers, two
old, battleships, six armored gun
boats, eight torpedo gunboats, thirty
four 6estroyers, seventeen torpedo
boats and eight submarines. These
of course, might be expected to help
Uncle Sam quite some, although only
because Of their classification on
paper.
Now, how about the value Of the
standing armies of the South Ameri-
can republics with respect to soldier
ship and training? Well, in Brazil
all mcles between twenty-one and
forty ave years of ase are obliged to
serve constantly in one branch or an
other during these twenty-four years.
Two years in the ranks, seven years
in the reserve, seven in the terrific
rial army, and, finally, eight years in
the national guard. The reserves
train annually for four weeks, with
rifle practice once a month. The
territorials have an annual training
Of from two to four weeks.
In Chill every citizen between the
ages of eighteen and forty-fve years
is, deemed liable to service. Recruits
called in their twentieth year are
trained one year. Then, they go to
the reserve of the active army for
nine years. Then they are trans
ferred to the second reserve, which
is organized as a second line army.
The Argentine republic calls on its
citizens for military service between
the ages of twenty and forty-fve
years. The first ten years they are
in the active, or first line, army. The
second ten years they are in the ma
tional guard. The last five years
they serve in the territorial guard.
In Peru the military service is COM
pulsory and universal. Three years
are first served in the active army.
Then seven years in the first reserve.
Then five years in the second reserve,
ending with fifteen vars in the ma
tional guard.
Bolivia compels military service
between the ages of twenty and fifty
years. There is a first line service
Of FIVE years, of which one year IS IN
the ranks. Then comes FIVE years in
the ordinary reserve Then fol-
lows ten years in the extraordinary
reserve Finally, ten years must be
served in the territorial guard.
Paraguay has small army Of
about two thousand six hundred Of
fcers and men drilled and trained on
the German model. The law of COM
pulsory service of two years had not
yet been put into effect at last offI-
cial reports.
Uruguay has a voluntary military
service OF from two 10 five years.
with a engagement up to forty
four years of age. This is in the
standing army. Then there is ma
tional guard, in which service is
compulsory in what is called three
Bans In Number l OF these the
SS1 NCS 41oAI oS'SoSSSo w
thirty years of age. He is trained to
take the field at any time with the
standing army. In Ban Number ?,
he serves from the age of thirty to
forty-fve years. This is called the
Departmental Ban, and is the pro-
vincial national guard. Ban Number
8 is territorial force, in which the
member serves only on garrison duty
from the age Of nineteen to forty-flve
years.
Every able bodied citizen of Co.
lombia is held liable for military
duty. There is also a police force
trained after the military fashion.
numbering 2,32S men. The standing
army in time of peacs number about
1000 men. Many of the soldiers are
also used in making and repairing
highways.
Military service in Ecuador is sup
posed to be obligatory on all citizens
between the ages OF eighteen and
forty-fve years. Up to the age OF
thirty-two service is in the active
army After that in the national