Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1915-04-22
PLAN BIC RESERVE
TO AID US. ARMY
Officers of General Staff Say
Militia Should Be Placed
Under Federal Control
With Full Equipment.

Fort LeaNenwOrtl, han.. April III
Officers at the General Service and
congress gets through grinding out
army legislation at the next session the
result will be that the United States
will be prepared on short notice to meet
any nation in the world in a contest of
arms.
The big question in congress In the
new army legislation will revolve
around the militia. Under present laws
no volunteer army a be created until
the militia first has been called into
service. and the war department is not
at all satisfied With the militia, nor
with the law which gives to governors
of he states the power to appoint the
officers of volunteer troops.
If the army has its way there will be
no state troops. but all militia or vol
unteer regiments will be directly un-
der the control OF the federal govern
nent.
General Carriers Plan.
Gen. William IL. Carter, now com
handing the Hawaiian department, has
just issued a book in which advocates
the abolition of the national guard as n
state organization, and the creation in
stead OF a guard under control of the
federal government, n infantry regi-
ment to be organized in each of the AS
congressional districts, and in UGH dis
tricts where the density of the popula-
ton warrants the organization of artil-
lery, cavalry and engineer troops and
signal corps.
IhtS, General Carter says, would give
the country. with the regular army of
10000 men and reserves of probably
half that number a Held army of about
500, 900 men. which could be put into
the field within a month after the dec
laration Of war. He advocates liberal
pay for the volunteer troops. They
would Of course. have the same equip
ment as the regular army. and one reg
ular army officer would be attached to
each regiment as a ~drillmaster and in
spector.
Plan For Recruiting.
Each regiment, both regular and
volunteer, would ~ 10 companies
and one depot company. SO that when
called to arms, the depot companies
would remain at home and drill recruits
for their regiments. Later. the men in
the depot company would be sent to the
front, their places being taken by men
inVAlided from the 'front.'.
Meantime, If more troops We're re-
CURED, new regiments would be formed
at the various resimcntal depots and
Differed by men promoted from the
regiments at the front.
These officers, who naturally keep
In close touch with the trend of mill
tary events say that when congress
gets through the probability is that the
United States will have four armies.
two active II two reserve, with pos
sibly a third reserve army. For sew
eral years now, the war department
has been trying TO stretch the regular
army all over the United States and
the outla yipg possessions. with the re-
suit that 1t hasn't enough troops in
any one place TO do the peace work
that is to be done, much less to cut any
t-r.,, '. $50. .tt Al-A
is likely to involve itself in war. The
only thing that can be done. therefore.
Is to Increase the regular army.
Strengthen Colonial Forces.
The lesson of Kiao-Chcw, Germany's
most important outpost. has not been
lost on the war department. SO that as
quickly as possible Porto Rico, the
Canal zone. Hawaii and the Philippines
are to be provided with full war
strength garrisons OF regular troops.
AT the same time, the probability Is,
that for administrative purposes, the
army will be divided into two parts, the
coionia army and the home army. The
colonia army win require some so, 900
men alone, made up of all branches, en-
gineers, signal corps, coast artillery,
field artillery, cavalry and infantry.
with the necessary non-combatant
supply and sanitary troops. These
forces will be distributed almost en-
tirely among tile Phll1pplneS Hawaii
and Panama. about 10000 at each
place. Hawaii and the Philippines in
the event OF war, would nave TO stand
alone until the United States navy
could obtain command Of the seas, and
II is especially important that Hawaii
Should be able to hold out against any
enemy, so that its garrison is made
larger proportinnately to that of the
Philippines. where the regular troops
| would be supplemented by the Philip
pine scouts and constabulary. The
Canal zine, on the other hand. can be
| more easily reinforced quickly from the
United states.
Larger Home Army.
For the home army, il is generally
agreed that the country needs a force
of about $4,000 fighting men. without
| 10000 Of them assigned to the coast
artillery, and organized into skeleton
tied regiments. to be filed up from the
, reserves in the event of war, so that
the force can be Immediately in
\ creased to full war strength within a
week from the call to arms. Thai
| congress will pass a. reserve bill along
the lines of the nav reserve bill gen.
orally is expected. This will result in
| quickly creating a reserve sufficient to
| FIJI up the ranks of the army. and 1t Is
| considered possible that surplus naval
reserve men would be employed with
the army, possibly in coast defense
duty. on mine planting and such work.
ORDER 100000 SHELLS.
Richmond. Va, April 1.-THE Amer
lean Locomotive company announced
that 1t had signed Il contract for the
manufacture Of $500, 900 shrapnel and