El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-06-29
DOMINATING principle Of the
American commonwealth, though
u ---...-- - Z. - IL - --------

DOMINATING principle OF the
n American commonwealth. though
L \ unwritten. is that military power
shall not be maintained for aggressive
purposes Therefore all considerations
for preparedness are based on the ac-
cepted rule that il shall be limited
strictly to the strength necessary for
adequate defence.
It used TO be believed, not only BY
civilians but by some military author
tiles, that a small army and navy would
furnish a safe nucleus" on which
completely effective fighting force
could be built quickly IN time OF war.
This belief made the country contented
with its skeleton" army.
There may have been some sound
reasoning in this theory once. There is
none now. Modern war has become n
matter Of such enormously complicated
science that civilians snatched sudden
y from peaceful pursuits cannot hope
to master it in time for emergency.
Army movements and battles call for
such extreme physical exertiOns that
men accustomed to the indoor life Of
cities cannot possibly meet the demands
until they have had some months Of
hardening.
Even so far back as the Franco
Prussian war there was striking proof
Of the impossibility Of charging a skel-
eton army with the flesh and bone Of
fresh recruits Cen Lapasset, in front
Of Metz, failed again and again to hold
positions with his brigade, which was
made up partly Of trained soldiers and
partly Of newly enlisted men hastily
recruited. In desperation, he eliminated
the unframed men, sending them TO
shelter within the fortress. Thereafter,
his numerically weakened but no. CO.
herent and trained brigade held ITS
ground against the same attacks that
had sent it Keeling when 1t had more
men in it
Training Is Vital.
Thus the people Of the United GATES
must realize first Of all that training
is vital. Any project for defence that
break down under test 1t may be ac-
cepted as an axiom that unframed men
who 20 into war hereafter viii go not
to fight but to be killed
The sheer courage that IN the DAYS
Of short range. slow fire guns c. ried
men in a hurrahing charge to capture
gun positions, can do nothing today
against batteries three and four miles
distant. The bravest men VINO ever
lived cannot charge across an area Of
three miles whose every 1oot Is sprayed
by bursting charges
Men are not sent into action TO die,
but to survive. Only training can leach
this. A trained regiment whose peace
is dou, led for war by an IN
fIuS OF raw volunteers becomes a
manned organization in the very mo-
ment when its highest efficiency is de
manded. War is the most ineXorable
thing that there is Its inevitable run
ishment for weakness is destruction
Army Reserve Is Remedy.
To give Americans the necessary
training without forming a large !
standing army or entering on career ]
of militarism. army experts and po-
litical students have agreed on a feas- 4
ible and easily operated method This I
method is to form an army reserve
One method proposed for forming /
such an army reserve is to cut Town /
the term of enlistment TO the minimum 1
period that is needed to make a man 1
trained soldier. As soon as 4
this is accomplished a newly enlisted 4
man is to take his place, while the 4
trained man gets his discharge from I
lctiye service, on condition that he shall