Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-10-08
Senator Chamberlain, Head OF
Senate Military Affairs Com
mittee, Voices Views.
FAVORS STANDING ARMY
OF MORE THAN $4,000
Soon to Come to Capital to Confer
With Secretary Of War
and President.

PORTLAND. Ore. October s.-"Per-
sonally I favor a standing army OF
from $4,000 to 10000 men and navy
as strong as any in the world, declared
Senator George F.. Chamberlain, cnalr-
man of the Senate committee on mill
tary affairs, when asked to express MS
views regarding prospective nauona'
defense legislation. Senator Chamber
lain will leave here for Washington IN
a few days to confer with the Secre-
tary of War and the President regard
ing the army budget and the recon-
mendations to be made to Congress
bearing on the increase both of the
strength and efficiency of the military
establishment.
what we need most" continued Sen
ator Chamberlain, lis not large
standing army, but efficient. well tram
ed and well equipped men, with an aoe-
quate reserve. Our navy must De as
strong as any navy in the worid, 1or
we have the Atlantic and Pacinc coasts
TO protect. With a strong navy. an
efficient standing army and resefVe
force our defense plans Will nave
good foundation.
Favors Military Training
ct believe in military training, but
lain asserted. 1T is not militarism to
have the children march in the schools
1t is not militarism to train students
in the use OF arms. l believe that every
institution of learning that derives part
of it's support from the government
should give military training to the
students The training is fine physical
exercise in itself. l do not believe that
one student in 500 trained at the ore
gon Agricultural College, which Is the
Oregon institution receiving fedeIfai
aid, ever tried for an appointment IN
the army, and yet those students know
how to drill and to handle gun"
This latter view expressed by SEN
ato- Chamberlain is in accord with one
OF the recommendations made by the
r. neral staff of the army favoring leg
islation by Congress which Will COM
pei ell land-graht colleges to give
thorough military instruction to stu
dents, and which will enable grad
yates of those colleges to serve one
year with the regular army. after grad
uation. with the rank of probationary
second lieutenant. AT the end OF one
years service in the army those who
have shown proficiency will. If Con-
gress follows the recommendation Of
the general staff, be eligible for regu-
lar commissions in the army as second
lieutenants, taking rank only after the
graduates of West Point.
Six-Year Enlistment Idea.
Il do not know just what sugges-
lions the general staff will make for
legislation in the coming Congress"
Senator Chamberlain continued. but
j would not be surprised il they rec
commended a six-year enlistment, CIV
ing the enlisted man the privilege of
resignng at the end of three years.
and remaining in the reserve for three
years. or, in exceptional cases. permit
ting a man to resign after eighteen
months and remaining in the reserve
four years and six months. This latter
plan could be carried out only in the
case OF soldiers who learned quickly,
and became thoroughly trained in a
year and a half.
with standing army of 125.000 to
100000 men. and such a reserve sys-
tenn in vogue. it is apparent that in a
few years there will be several hun
dred thousand experienced men in the
reserve. At present about 10000 men
round out their enlistments every
year, and when they leave the army no
record is kept of them. and they are
lost track of.