River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1915-12-09
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS IS THEME
Of PRESIDENT WILSON'S MESSAGE
Regular Army 141843 Supplemented by Force of 100000
Trained Citizens Is Urged-Gravest Menace to the Peace
of the Country Comes from DisIoyaI Foregn-Born
Citizens-PIan for Larger Navy Outlined.

it's present strength Of 5,023 officers and
102, 9S5 enlisted men of all services to q
| strength of 7,136 officers and 49,, 7O7 en-
listed men, or 141,843, 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 Off
| GERS required for great variety of extra
service, especially the all-important duty
of training the citizen force of which I
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 for it's
present duties, duties which it 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
ppines, in the Hawaiian islands, at the
| sthmus, and in Porto Rico.
Force of Trained Citizens.
BY way of making the country ready
to assert some part of it's real power
promptly and upon larger scale, should
occasion arise the plan also contemplates
experimenting the army by a force of
! 40O,C00 disciplined citizens, raised in incre-
ments of 000 a year throughout a pc
Rod Of three years. This it 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 100000 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-
ceed 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 Tt would depend upon
the patriotic spirit Of the employers of
the country whether they made it posi-
BILE for the younger men in their en-
plOy to respond under favorable condi-
tons or not. T. 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 I would
look forward to the success of such an
| CApcI IIIGII Will SullI6 COuIlUCIC0.
At least so much by way Of prepara-
ton for defense seems to me to be alb
solutely imperative now. We cannot do
less.
Program for the Navy.
The program to be laid before you con-
templates the construction within five
years of 10 battleships, battle cruis-
ers, 10 scout cruisers, so destroyers, Is
fleet submarines, IS coast submarines.
four gunboats, one hospital ship, two
ammunition ships. two fuel-oil ships and
one repair ship. 1t is proposed that of
this number we shall the first year pro-
vide for the construction of two battle
ships, two battle cruisers, three scout
cruisers, Is destroyers, five fleet subma-
rnes, rs coast submarines, two sunboats,
| and one hospital ship; the second year,
two battleships, one scout cruiser, ten
destroyers, four fleet submarines, Is coast
| submarines, one gunbOat, and one fuel
oil ship; the third year, two battleships,
| one battle cruiser two scout cruisers, five
destroyers, two fleet submarines, and Is
coast submarines; the fourth year, two
battleships, two battle cruisers, two
scout cruisers, ten destroyers, two fleet
| submarines, Is coast submarines, one am
| munitiOn ship and one fuel-oil ship; and
the fifth year, two battleships, one battle
cruiser, two scout cruisers, ten destroy
ers, two fleet submarines, Is coast subma-
| rln6S, one SunDOdL, one dIIIluIllIlOn S1llp
| and one repair ship.
The secretary of the navy is asking
also for the immediate addition to the
| personnel of the navy of 1850 sailors,
| 250O apprentice seamen, and 1900 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 Of men which must be put in
training to man the ships which will be
completed early in 1918. It is also neces-
| sary that the number of midshfpmen 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 is asked to
appoint for engineering duties only, ap-
proved graduates of engineering colleges,
| and for service in the aviation corps a
certain number of men taken from civil
life.
If this full program should be carried
cut we should have built or building in
1921, according to the estimates of surviv-
al and standards of classification followed
| by the general board of the department,
an effective navy consisting of 27 battle
ships of the first line, six battle cruisers,
% battleships of the second line, ten ar
mored cruisers, - scout cruisers, five
f1rst-cass cruisers, three second-class
cruisers, ten third-class cruisers, 108 de-
troyers, IS fleet submarines, 157 coast sub
| marines, six monitors, 20 gunboats, four
supply ships, 10 fuel Ships four trans
ports, three tenders to torpedo vessels,
eight vessels of special types, and two
ammunition ships. This would be a navy
fitted 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
if we are to consider the supreme matter
of national self-sufficiency and security
in all its aspects. There are other great
matters which will be thrust upon our at
tention whether we will or not. There
is, for example, very pressing question
. of trade and shipping involved in this
great problem of national adequacy. It
is necessary for many weighty reasons of
women grown far into the years, for
example, and yet who have maintained