The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-31
Officers Agree to Cooper ate With Government in Enlisting Proposed Conti- mental Army
FOR THE STATE MILITIA
 ARE TO BE INCREASED
War Departments Attitude Will Encourage Develop
 ment of Efficiency Among
 Militia Regiments '

Washington, october so-spport ofsths National Guardsmen of tho country for
 the administrations defense plans. in-
 cuding the formation of q continental
 army, was virtually assured today at the
 conclusion of . two-day conference be-
 tween Secretary Garrison and members
 of the executive committee of tho Ma tional Guard association and tho national militia board. some oposition to the continental army scheme developed yes terday when the conference began, but Secretary Garrison was successful in con vincing the guardsmen of the wisdom of the plan and also that no steps would be spared to promote the interests of the National Guard because of the new plan General Foster of the Florida National Guard. chairman of the executive com
 mittee. issued the following statement: Meetings Purpose
 "The meetings were held for the purpose of considering the attitude of the war department with relation to nleasures which had been proposed for improving the efficiency of the militia.
 Tn the coursd of the consideration of
 these matters there naturally came up
 for discussion the larger and broader
 question of a general military policy for
 national defense which has so recently
 been brought to public attention by an-
 nouncements from the White House and war department upon this subject The features of the plan which the Secre- tary of War has approved were fully tiis- cussed and in practically every essential detail. The militia officers expressed l great satisfaction that this plan does not
 fininise the importance or tnc organ- ], lzed militia. but recommends increased
 militia appropriations.
 l The report of the executive committee. which has been prepared here and which will be submitted to the convention of 1 the National Guard association. which | meets in san Francisco November 9 to H. will recite in detail the history of the l suggested militia legislation and will out | line the general military policy which l the Secretary of War now proposes. It concludes with a recommendation that the National Guard association address it's best efforts to securing the introduce ton in and passage by the next Congress- of q bill to improve the efficiency of the militia and embodying the principle
 of federal conpensa tion for militia serv- ice. this having been agreed upon by all l military authorities as necessary to en-
 able this branch of the service to realize | the standards which are now prescribed 1 for 1t by law, and to perfect and improve branch of the service, the value of
 which as a national military asset ts not disputed.
 | Individual Expressions
 "The National Guard officers meeting here felt that they could not in their
 representative capacity. give expression
 with regard to all of the proposals em- braced in the plan of the Secretary of War until after such plan has been fully considered by the organization which they represent, but from individual expressions | 1t may safely be assumed that tho senrs- ment of the National Guard will be favor able to the recommendations of the sec retary with regard to a necessary increaoo l in the standing army and also to his proposal for the formation of force Of citizen soldiery which has been referred
 to as a continental army and which 1t 10 | proposed to organized under the conotitu- tional provision granting tho federal Gov-
 ernment authority to raise and mainta1a | armies''