The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-08-19
i. nation win s eonIsittsd q Dol 3,
Iessons from Burope.

The reports that are made 70 Lne
president by the military experts VIII
be basedsto 3 very large extent upon
/ the lessons that are TO be learned from
recommend the laying down Of Q pro.
gram OF military preparedness There
will be certain items which Will De
cited az desirable but not indesRens-
able But there will be no dissenting
voices among the experts IS to the Inn.
perattve need of greatly enlarged
corps of trained officers.
II. for instance, the army is not en-.
larged or is enlarged but slightly. \
1t Is decided that the United States
will stick to its present program ana
depend upon q volunteer army when
an emergency arises. the need will be
even stronger for this corps OF officers
than otherwise.
1t Is held that the United States.
finding itself thrust into q war, wonl1
need every omcer It now has to handle
the regular army In its efforts toward
resistance It it called for q million
volunteers and secured them. 1t would
be without trained officers to convert
them from raw recruits into eh1cfent
fighting machines. 1t Is granted that
an intelligent recruit may be made
pretty good soldier with six months
of the right sort OF training But TO
get that training he must have efdctent
handling. There must be- competent
h.ghly-trained officers to effect tho
transformation. To handle a million
recruits there must be alarge number
of officers. The experts say that u
we were plunged into a war with
first elias power 1t would require the
services Of 10000 officers to make Us
an adequate army.
Lacks Trained Officers.
England, it is claimed, has encoun-
tered it's chief difficulty In making an
army because OF an insufficient force
of trained officers. Trouble with en-;
Hstments and in the production o.
munitionshas been easier to overcome
Russia, it Is also stated by the ex-
perts, has found her great handtcar
when the day of mighty battles came
in the fact that its troops, admirable
in most Instances have been Withou,
trained officers to lead them.
The presfdent and Congress and the
people will be. asked to provide means
for the Development OF strong corps
of reserve officers. There are many
plans for making this possible. The
first suggestion is to double the ca
pacity OF the military schools and tt
graduate double the number OF mer
from them. The need is greatest II
the army and to supply this need Wesi
Point could. under such an arrange.
ment. graduate an additional hundred
This number turned out by that in
stitution annually has been below 9
hundred for each year Of the last i've
until the present when it jumped To
168. A hundred men q year, going
from West Point into the reserve ONO.
er lists would. in twenty years, build
up such reserce 1000 strong and
maintain II thereafter. An education
at West Point with 9 possibility Of
service only In case Of war would be
more attractive to the youth of the
nation than such course requiring
a military career after graduation. q
similar increase in the number Of men
graduated from the Naval Academy a.
Annapolis would supply the needs OF
that branch of the service.
The Land Grant Colleges.
1t Is found that the nation has
other resources for the production OF
reserve officers. There are, for in
stance, the land grant colleges. one
in each state, which receive stipends