Evening star., 1915-06-08
Gen. Maxwell Woodruff Pro-
tests Consolidation
of Regiments.
WRONG TIME TO PUT
NEW PLAN IN OPERATION
Citizen Soldiery Should Be Expanded
and Not Curtailed-Time Re-
quired to Develop Soldiers.
To the Editor Of The Star:

To the Editor Of The Star:
As a citizen of Washington permit
me to protest against the proposed az
tion of the War Department IN coh
solidating the two regiments OF N
fantry of the National Guard OF Inc
District of Columbia into a new req
rnent of infantry as inopportune at the
present time.
This action is proposed to be TAKEN
In order to bring the National efuhiu
of the District into harmonious I
tfons with the new scheme OF 1,iiii'1a
organization for the country at la 30.
Such action is predicated on cohui
tion of peace not only in our own eoun
try. but throughout the world
The present, however. is not a perloo
OF peace either abroad or at home.
Europe is in a condition of war anu
the United States occupies sucn d pos' .
fion as the chief neutral power anu s'
the defender of the rights i.bnu+ % anv
that at any moment, ana WlInou. IL. 90 ~. =
action on our part, we may pc u a"
into the maelstrom of war
If we were q strong military poWei
we might experiment IN the rec. a..
cation of our defensive force but " 9
are not a strong military power we
are on the contrary, whether consul
cred offensively or defenslVely, Mea
military power. and consequently : !
think the present a very lnopportuhe
time in which to disorganize and DIS
band existing regiments OF militia m
faptry in the hope that their place
NAV be filled ultimately by troops oi
other arms of the service. whose EN-
cheney must be created EHclehcS is
a matter of slow growth
War Departments Plan.
The plan. of the War Department as
outlined in The Star of some evenings
ago is substantially as follows:
The United States is to be divided
into a certain number of militia dlvi-
sions. To each one of these militia dl-
visions ts to be allotted a certain num-
he- of regiments of infantry. batteries
of artillery and squadrons of cavalry,
Nth also an allotment of service troops
.ucb aa those of the engineers, ord
nance medical, quartermasters ano
Signal Corps. And wherever IL snall
occur, as In the nature OF Things II is
likely to occur in all of these mllltla
diyisions. that the infantry exceeds the
allotted proportion of that arm Tor tne
division, the excess of infantry Is to
ba mustered out of service and new
ORGANIZATIONS of the other arms of the
servfce are to be created TO take the
nlace of the infantry SO disbanded.
The object of this plan of reorgan1.
~.ffon is to constitute q well balanced
force of militia, consisting of infantry
cavalry and artillery. with cores
bonding allotment of troops of the sew
oral service corps.
I do not propose to discuss now the
plan of producing well balanced force
Of militia, consisting of the three arms
Of the service, because L regard the
present as a peculiarly fnopportun<
time in which to endeavor to put the
new scheme into operation Sufhcien'
for the day is the evil thereof.
In the outline OF this proposed plar
for the reorganization of the militia o!
the country, published in a recent mum
ber of The Star. 1t is pointed out no
only that the District of Columbia ha:
an excess of infantry, but that th'
militia division to which the District o.
Columbia is assigned has a surplus o.
infantry. Therefore, should this plaI
of militia reorganization be carried
out, the excess of infantry regiments IL
this militia division would have to b'
mustered out II service to make place
for new organizations Of artillery, cav
airy and service troops.
Disorgarization of Defense.
This seems to me TO be a disorgani
zation of our line of defense in from
of possible enemy.
And especially is this unwise in re
spect to the two regiments of infan
try of the District militia, because botl
of these regiments, or at least compo
nent parts thereof, have displayed theil
colors on the field of battle, and conse
Ouently cherish memories of trials pf