The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-04-09

forward, voluntarily, to serve the
country.
The statement was given by the
Right Hon. Harold J. Tenant, parlia-
official spokesman of Lord kltch-
ener on the floor of the house of
commons. When you ask Harold j.
Tenant questions about the war and
the war department you're meeting
him on his home ground He's the
minister whose duty it is to tackle the
tornadoes of inquiries that are asked
by members of the commons; Lord
Kitchener answers questions in the
house of lords.
Mr.. Tenant began the interview by
asking me a question::
what do you think he said, 'is
which is the most interesting to
Americans ?"
Stands the Ordeal.
1t came to me to ask him about the
voluntary military service which only
England and America, of all the first
class powers. have dared to follow.
The other great nations must force
military service on their citizens. The
E,nglish-American plan was being
tested by England in the greatest war
in history, and L thought America
would have to know how the volun-
tary system was standing the strain.
Unprecedented strains" said Mr..
Tenant, "have been put upon the vol
untary system in this war; it mas had
to undergo a much more severe trial
than ever previously contemplated,
and it has triumphantly withstood
the ordeal
said Mr.. Tenant. The territorial
force. 1t may be explained, CORE
spends to the American militia.
There were roughly, at the beginning
of the war, a quarter of a million of
soldiers in that army, good many
nd re- MAJ CT n
these some had been enlisted for some
time and had gone through the re-
quired drills and training in camp.
Others. who had enlisted more recent
ly, had done no more than a fort
nights camp training, and some of
them had not done even that. On the
fourth of August, therefore, when war
was declared, 1t stood upon its trial"
Apply this same description to the
American militia and you can read the
same significance of Mr.. Tenants
description in terms of the American
military problem.
No Protection From Invasion.
1--WE have now been nearly eight
months at war and nothing has hap
pened to necessitate our calling upon
the territorial force to perform the
service for which it was originally in
tended-that is, to protect the coun-
try from invasion"
What has happened then, to the
territorial force?" asked.
sit was, at the beginning of August
some thousands below its paper estab-
lishment 1t is now more than dou-
BILE what it was originally intended to
be. We have territorials to the total
number originally provided for, all of
whom have volunteered for foreign
service; and, as a second line to these
we have under training a complete
second territorial force consisting of
regiments, battalions and so forth
corresponding to the units OF the orig
inal force. Other units are also being
raised.
Top New Population.
ITO understand he said, 1.-The sig
nificance of the voluntary system In
time of war you have to realize the
difference between the new armies
and the regular army which has so
brilliantly upheld its splendid tradi-
tions, and which is and Will remain
the backbone of the British expedi-
tionary force. In peace time the reg
ular army completes with other forms
of employment on what may be called
the ordinary plane of industry. Its
men are drawn from the class which
is looking for work, and which, if it
does not go to the army, will go into
one or the other of the trades. The