New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-10-09
Oregon Senator Advocates
Fleet Equal to Any in
the World.
PLEADS FOR SCHOOL
MILITARY TRAINING
favors Standing Army of l5O,-
600 Men and Six-Year Enlist
ment to Swell Reserve Force.
fnr 1el.r.ph % me Tribune J

programme for the United States Navy
which would make 1t the equal Of any
in the world was advocated here to-day
by Senator George E. Chamberlain, Of
Oregon, chairman Of the Committee on
Military Affairs. Senator Chamberlain
declared in favor of standing army
of from $4,000 to 10000 men. lie
urged military training in boys schools,
so that when the young men went out.
into life they would rave the psSN
benefit Of such training aIMS be
whipped more quickly ir~SSlrst class
fighting men in case their services were
needed by the country.
what we need most" said Senator
Chamberlain, "is not large standing
army, but efficient, well trained and
well equipped men, with an adequate
reserve. Our navy must be as strong as
any navy in the world, for we have tho
Atlantic and Pacific coasts to protect.
With a strong navy, an efficient stand
ing army and a reserve force our de-
fence plans will have a good founda-
ton.
Advocates Training in Schools.
81 believe in military training, but
not in militarism," the Senator as
serted at is not militarism TO have
the children march in the schools; 1t
is not militarism to train students IN
the use of arms. believe that every
institution Of learning that derives part
of its support from the government
should give military training 70 the
students. The training is fine physical
exercise in itself. ! do not believe
that one student in 500 trained at the
Oregon Agricultural College, which IS
the Oregon institution receiving red
oral aid. ever tried for an appointment
in the army, and yet those students
know how to drill and to handle gun.
Senator Chamberlain idea OF training
in land grant schools is in accord with
one of the recommendations made by
the General staff Of the army, favCring
legislation by Congress which would
compel all land grant institutions TO
give thorough military instructions 10
students, and enable graduates of those
colleges or schools TO serve one year
with the regular army, after gradua-
ton. with the rank of probationary
second lieutenant. At the end Of one
years service in the army those wac
had shown proficiency would, if Con-
gress adopted the proposed plan, be
eligible for regular commissions IN the
army as second lieutenants, taking rank
only after the graduates Of West Point
Six-Year Enlistment Plan.
81 do not know just what sugges-
tions the General Staff will make for
legislation in the coming Congress-,
Senator Chamberlain continued, but
would not be surprised if they recon-
mended a six-year enlistment, giving
the enlisted man the privilege of re-
signing 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 a standing army Of 125,0OO to
10000 men, and such reserve sys-
TEN in vogue, in q few years there
would be several hundred thousand eX-
perlenced men IN the reserve. AZ pre-
ent 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.
81 have no patience with the persons
who say: What European nation would
dare 90 to war with US? After the war
every European nation will be weak
Such a statement shows ignorance.
After the war there won't be a nation
in Europe that cannot whip us, for
each nation will have an army of vet
Grams who won't be afraid of the devil.
They will be the greatest armies the
world has ever seen. We had the spec
tacle in the Civil War Of fighting with
unframed men for two years-the
North and South had to train their
men in the feld-but when the war
was over the men were so experienced
that the United States could have
licked any other country in the world.
As for the question Who would want
TO fight well. it is a simple matter
to find an excuse for war"