The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1915-12-04


the go3ernmsnt must Be their servant in
this m3tter. must supply them with the
training they need to take care f>them-
selves and Of II. The military arm Of their
government. which they win not allow to
direct them, they may properly use to
serve them and make their Independence
secure-and not their own independence
merely but the rights also Of those with
whom fhey have made common cause.
should they also be put In jeopardy.
They must be fitted to play the great
role In the world. and particularly in this
hemisphere. for which they are quail
fed by principle and by chastened ambi-
ton to play.
1t is with these ideals in mind that the
plans OF the department of war for more
adequate national defense were conceived
which Will be laid before you, and which
! urge you to sanction and put into eff
feet as soon as they can be properly scru-
tinized and discussed. They seem to me
the essential first steps. and they seem
to me for the present sufficient
They contemplate an increase of the
standing force OF the regular army from
its present strength of 5023 officers and
102.9S5 enlisted men of all services to a
strength OF 7.136 officers and 34707 en-
listed men. or 1883. all told. all serv-
ices. rank and file. by the addition OF 81
companies of coast artillery. Is COM
panies of engineers. ten regiments of in
fantry. four regiments of field artillery.
and four aero squadrons, besides $50 oni-
GERS required for a great variety of extra
service, especially the all-'mportant duty
of training the citizen force of which
shall presently speak, 1872 non-commis-
stoned officers for service in drill, recruit
ing and the like, and the necessary quota
OF enlisted men for the quartermaster
corps the hospital corps. the ordnance
department and other similar auxiliary
services. These are the additions neces-
sary to render the army adequate fer its
present duties. duties which Il has to
perform not only upon our own CONT
mental coasts and borders and at our in
terror army posts. but also in the Phil
ippines, in the Hawaiian islands, at the
isthmus. and in Porto Rico.
Force Of Trained Citizens.
BY way OF making the country ready
to assert some part OF its real power
promptly and upon a larger scale, should
occasion arise. the plan also contemplates
supplementine the army by a force of
10000 disciplined citizens, raised In incre-
ments Of $4,000 year throughout a pc
Rod Of three years. This 1t is proposed
to do by process of enlistment under
which the serviceable men of the coun-
try would be asked to bind themselves to
serve with the colors for purposes of
training for short periods throughout
three years. and to come to the colors
at call at any time throughout an addi-
tional '.furlough" period of three years
| This force OF 10000 men would be pro-
vided with personal accoutrements as fast
as enlisted and their equipment for the
| field made ready to be supplied at any
| time. They would be assembled for train
| ing at stated intervals at convenient
places In association with suitable units
of the regular army. Their period Of
annual training would not necessarily ex-
coed two months in the year.
It would depend upon the patriotic feel
ing of the younger men OF the country
whether they responded to such a call
| to service or not. 1t would depend upon
the patriotic spirit of the employers of
| the country whether they made II posi-
BILE for the younger men in their en-
| ploy to respond under favorable condi-
| tons or not. I, for one, do not doubt
| the patriotic devotion either Of our young
| men or Of those who give them employ
ment-those for whose benefit and protec-
ton they would in fact enlist.
The program which will be laid before
| you by the secretary Of the navy is sim
| ilarly conceived. II involves only a
long matured shall be carried out: but it
| does make definite and explicit a program
| which has heretofore been only implicit.
| held In the minds of the committees on
| naval affairs and disclosed In the debates
| of the two houses but nowhere formu-
lated or formally adopted. 1t seems to
me very clear that 1t win be to the ad-
vantage Of the country for the congress
to adopt q comprehensive plan for put
Al -
| strength and eficiency and to press that
| plan to completion within the next FIVE
years. We have always looked to the
navy of the country az our first and chief
| line of defense: we have always seen IT
| to be our manifest course OF prudence
| to be strong on the seas. Year by year
| we have been creating navy which now
ranks very high indeed among the navies
| of the maritime nations. We should now
| definitely determine how we shall COM
plete what we have begun, and how soon.
Program for the Navy.
The secretary Of the navy is asking
also for the immediate addition to the
personnel Of the navy of $500 sailors,
ESQ apprentice seamen, and 1.500 marines.
This increase would be sufficient to care
for the ships which are to be completed
within the fiscal year 1917 and also for
the number f-men which must be put In
training to man the ships which will be
completed early In 1918 II IL also neces-
sary that the number Of midshipmen at
the naval academy at Annapolis should
be increased by at least 800 in order that
the force Of officers should be more rap
idly added to; and authority Ii asked to
appoint for engineering duties only. APP
proved graduates Of engineering colleges.
ana for service In the aviation corps a
certain number Of men taken from civil
life.
II this full program should be carried
out we should have built or building in
12l. according to the estimates of surviv-
al and standards Of classification followed
BY the general board Of the department.
an effective navy consisting Of "a battle
ships OF the first line, six battle cruisers.
. battleships Of the second line. ten ar
mored cruisers, 70 scout cruisers. i've
nrst-ciass cruisers. three second-class
cruisers, ten third-class cruisers. 10e de-
troyers. Is feet submarines. l57 coast sub
marines. six monitors. 20 gunboats. four
supply seips. u fuel ships. four trans
ports. three tenders to torpedo vessels.
eight vessels OF special types. and two
ammunition ships. This would be q navy
ntted to our needs and worthy of our
traditions.
Trade and Shipping.
But armies and instruments Of war are
only part OF what has to be considered
II we are to consider the supreme matter
OF national self-suniciency and security
IN all Its aspects- There are other great
matters which win Be thrust upon our at
tention whether We win or not. There
e. Tor example. very pressing question
OF trade and shipping involved in this
great problem OF national adequacy. II
ID necessary for manv veiobfv reasons of
national efficiency ana development that
We should have q great merchant ma
rine. The great merchant feet we once