The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-06-27

Ut present when all Europe is under arms with half the world at war the interest in this country in things mili- tary has been suddenly aroused. After years of pleading and begging and viewing with alarm" and solemn warnings from a few public spirited men who have the welfare of the coun- Try at heart. it begins to. look as trough the American people are after all about to realize the need of defi- Lite and vigorous policy of national defense. For 20 years the army and navy have been standing at the doors of Congress. hat in hand, begging for the means to carry on their work, while their little brothers, the national guard and the naval reserve, has done everything possible to help the cause. With men like Secretary Garrison and Representative Gardner shouting from the housetops the desperate need of more adequate defense. and with Gen. eral Emory Upton and General Homer Lee pointing out the errors of our present policy, 1t looks at last as though We were really almost about to wake up
 TO person unacquainted with the situation all this talk seems foolish. It seemed equally foolish before the war with Spain, yet our unpreparedness for that little affair caused a frightful and unnecessary loss of life. For the greatest nation on earth to talk Of telng Tn danger seems absurd. But 1t ms moment we are almost as helpless as China. We tell ourselves that we can whip the world-which may be true-but should we ever undertake 70 gigantic a task the very first cam raign would cost us more men than we ought by rights to lose in the whole war We tell ourselves that we are a nation of riflemen, yet not one Amer lean in 100 ever had a high power rifle In ms hands, and not one in 500 know s how to shoot one. We pride ourselves on the exploits of our forefathers, ana on how they met and defeated the British regulars, but we forget that it required about four times as many lives as the job should have required. And so, lulled into a foolish sense of security, we go on about our little in- significant personal affairs unmindful CT the needs of our country and for getful of the lessons of the past. For the first time since the civil war the American people have come to realize the woeful inadequacy of their army and navy Heretofore battles have been waged by armies numbering tens of thousands of men. but the Eu- ropean armies of today literally mum Der millions, The hosts who strug- gled at Gettysburg and Chickamauga would hardly make a rear guard for the European armies of today How utterly insignificant in comparison must our little army of S5,o00 men seem?
 It appears now as if Congress will authorize an increase in size to some extent, possibly to double the present number This will be. of great value as far as it goes. but it will not by any means go far enough. No thought ful man wishes to see the upbuildlng of great standing army Such an institution would be contrary to the very principles of our government Aside from the danger of such an army, to say nothing of the expense 1t would be undemocratic and un- American We have no desire to set up military party or an officers caste fn this country, yet we must build up some adequate means of defense The answer is simple enough. Build cp. not great standing army of regu- lars. but instead a magnificent army of citizen soldiers, numbering not less than half a million men, and trained and equipped down to the last word
 
 secure. We have always boasted that We are a nation of soldiers, direct de- scendants of the "embattled farmers of Bunker Hill and Kings Mountain Why not then let us all go in for d little training, and bring our military Knowledge up to date? Instead of 120. 900 national guardsmen in the coun- try why not, by encouraging the va rious organizations. recruit them up to the half million mark. The gov crnment is willing to do everything to help, the young men of the nation have never lacked spirit, but the ranks remain unified. Why? Because the great body of the American people have never learned the value of the rational guard and have never given 1t the proper encouragement and sup Jort. This and this alone stands in the way of the upbuilding of this branch of service.
 because of the fact that in order to recruit the half million one person in every 200 would have to join the na- tional guard. We seem to have for gotten that at this very moment every male person between the ages of 1S and 45 is member of the militia ana therefore subject to call. The only diff ference would be that the national guard would give to the country a trained and disciplined force. while the present plan gives it a horde of un- trained, undisciplined and totally use- less levies.
 The word "useless" is used advisably,