The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1915-12-07

lhSe DcCduSc vi THO oCOHOInlC rea0JuSl-
ments which the world must inevi.
tably witness within the next genera
ton, when peace shall have at last re-
sumed its healthful tasks. In the per.
formance of these tasks | believe the
Americas to be destined to play their
parts together, | am interested to fix
your attention on this prospect now
because unless you take II within your
view and permit the full significance
of it to command your thought can
not find the right light in which to set
forth the particular matter that lies
at the very front of my whole thought
as I address you today mean ma.
tiona defense.
No one who really comprehends the
spirit of the great people for whom
we are appointed to speak can fail to
perceive that their passion ia for
peace, their genius best displayed In
the practice of the arts of peace. Great
democracies are not belligerent. They
do not seek or desire war. Their
thought is of individual liberty and of
the free labor that supports life and
the uncensored thought that quickens
1t. Conquest and dominion are not in
our reckoning, or agreeable to our
principles But just because we de
mand unmolested development and
the undisturbed government of our
own lives upon our own principles of
right and liberty, we resent, from
whatever quarter Ii may come, the ag.
gression We ourselves will not prac-
tice. We insist upon security In prose-
cutting our self-chosen lines of nation
al development. We do more than that.
We demand 1t also for others
Question of Preparedness.
Out of such thoughts grow all our
policies. We regard war merely as a
means of asserting the rights of a peo-
pie against aggression. And we are
as fiercely jealous of coercive or die.
tatorial power within our own nation
as of aggression from without. We
will not maintain standing army ex-
cept for uses which are as necessary
in times of peace as In times of war;
and we shall always see to it that our
military peace establishment is no
larger than Is actually and continu-
ously needed for the uses of days In
which no enemies move against US
But we do believe in body of free
citizens ready and sufficient to take
care of themselves and Of the govern.
ments which they have set up to serve
them.
But war has never been a mere mat
ter of men and guns. 1t Is a thing of
disciplined might. II our citizens are
ever to fight effectively upon sudden
summons, they must know how mod
ern fighting is done, and whatto do
when the summons comes to render
themselves Immediately available and
Immediately effective. And the gov
ernment must be their servant in this
matter, must supply them with the
training they need to take care of
themselves and of 1t.
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 be-
fore you, and which l 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.
Larger Army Plan.
They contemplate an increase of the
standing force of the regular army
from its present strength of 5,023
officers and 102,985 enlisted men of
all services to a strength of 7.136
officers and 134,7O7 enlisted men.
or 141,843, all told, all services,
rank and file, by the addition
of fifty-two companies OF coast
artillery, fifteen companies of engi-
neers, ten regiments of infantry. four
regiments of field artillery, and four
aero sQuadrons, besides 750 officers
required for a great variety of extra
service, especially the all important
duty of training the citizen force Of
which l shall presently speak, 1872
noncommissioned officers for serv-
ice in drill, recruiting and the
like, and the necessary quota of en-
listed men for the quartermaster
corps, the hospital corps, the ord
nance department, and other similar
auxiliary services These are the ad-
ditions necessary to render the army
adequate for ats present duties, duties
which 1t has to perform not only upon
our own continental coasts and bor-
ders and at our interior army posts,
but also in the Philippines, In the
Hawaiian islands, at the isthmus. and
in Porto Rico.
By way of making the country ready
to assert some part OF its real power
promptly and upon larger scale,
should occasion arise, the plan also
contemplates supplementing the army
by force of 100000 disciplined citi-
zens, raised In increments of 1884,
600 a year throughout period
of three years. This II is proposed
TO do by a process OF enlistment un-
der which the serviceable men of the
country would be asked to bind them
selves to serve with the colors for pur-
pose of training 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 provided with
personal accoutrements as fast as
autfatQd and thair auulntpnuf for