The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1915-12-10
Declares That if Full Navy Pro-
gram Is Carried Out We Will
Have a Fleet For Defense That
Will Be Fitted to Our Needs
and Worthy of Our Traditions"
Greatest Danger to Country
Comes From Within Our Bor-
derS.

VIII not arrow TO u1rect them, Jney 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
they 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 am
bition 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 effect as soon as they can
be properly scrutinized 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 5.023 Off
GERS and 102,9S5 enlisted men of all
services to a strength of 1916 officers
and 134,707 enlisted men, or 141.S43
all told all services. rank and file. by
the addition of fifty-two companies of
coast artillery, fifteen companies Of en-
gineers, ten regiments of infantry. four
regiments of field artillery and four
aero squadrons besides $50 officers re
quired for a great variety Of extra
service, especially the all important
duty of training the citizen force OF
which l shall presently speak. 1872 non
commissioned officers for service in
drill. recruiting 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 necessary to render
the army adequate for its present du-
ties, duties which it has to perform
not only upon our own continental
coasts and borders and at our interior
army posts, but also in the Philippines,
in the Hawaiian Islands, at the 18TH
mus and in Porto Rico
BNway 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 supplementing the army
by a force of 100000 disciplined citi-
zens, raised in increments Of l33,0OO
year throughout period of three
years. This it is proposed to do by
process of enlistment under which the
serviceable men of the country would
be asked to bind themselves to serve
with the colors for purposes of train
ing for short periods throughout three
years and to come to the colors at call
at any time throughout an additional
"furlough' period Of three years. This
force of 100000 men would be pro
vided with personal accouterments as
fast as enlisted and their equipment
for the field made ready to be supplied
at any time. They would be assem-
bled for training Mt stated intervals at
convenient places in association with
suitable units of the regular army.
Their period of annual training would
not necessarily exceed two months In
the year
The president says it is up TO the
patriotic young men of the country to
respond to this call.