The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1915-12-10

We will not maintain a standing army ex
cept for uses which are as necessary II
times Of peace as n times q war .a,a,ar, and W
peace establishment Is no larger tnan u
, actually and continuously. needed for TN
uses OF days In which no enemies mos' s
against u.s. But We do believe In bodl
Of free citizens ready and sufficient to tak'
care of themselves and OF the governmentl
which they have set up to serve them. II
4 our constitutions themselves we have com
manded that "the right of the people Y
keep and bear arms shall not be mfringed,
and our confidence has been that our sale.,
in times of danger would lie IN the risint
of the Nation to take care OF ITSELF, as tne
] farmers rose at Lexington
4 But war has never been mere matter q
| men and guns. 1t is a thing OF disciplined
might If our citizens are ever to figh'
effectively upon a sudden summons the,
/ must know how modern fighting is done
and what to do when the summons cofnei
i to render themselves Immediately avaiiaple
and Immediately effective, And the Gov
ernment must be their servant In this mat
ter, must supply them with the training
| they need to take care OF themselves aho
| Of t. The military arm Of their Govern
ment. which they will not allow to direct
them, they may properly use to serve them
and make their independence secure--aho
not their own Independence merely but the
rights also of those with whom they nave
made common cause, should they also pe
put in jeopardy. They must be Tilted 10
| play the great role In the world, ana par
| ticularly In this hemisphere, for which they
are qualified by principle ana py chasteheu
ambition to play.
Immediate Defense Plans Outlined.
| 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 before you. and whieh !
urge you to sanction and put into enect az
soon as they can be properly scrgtini.eo anu
| first steps and they seem to me Tor the
present sufficient.
They contemplate. an increase OF the
| standing force of the Regular Army from
| Its present strength Of 602B officers ana
102 9S5 enlisted men OF all services to
strength of 7138 officers and 1874, TOT en-
listed men, or 141,S43 all told. all services
rank and file. by the addition OF oz COM q,
engineers, ten regiments Of infantry, four
regiments of field artillery, and four aero
souadrons besides 750 officers required Tor
a great variety Of extra service, especially
the ill-important- duty of training the citi-
zen force of which shall presently speak,
1902 nom commissioned officers for service In
drill recruiting and the like, and the neces-
sary quota of enlisted men for the Quarter
master Corps, the Hospital Corps. the Ord
nance Department and other similar auxii-
larry services. These are the additions necee-
sary to render the Army adequate Tor its
present duties duties which 1t has TO per.
form not only upon our own continentel
coasts and borders and at our Interior Army
posts, but also In the Philippines. IN tne
Hawaiian Islands. at the Ithmus. and IN
Porto Rico
BY way of making the country ready to
assert some part Of Its real power promptly
and upon a larger SCALE should occasion
arise. the plan also contemplated suppleo dp neo
menting the Army by force OF 40O,oou
disciplined citizens raised In increment. OF
f33 coo a year throughout period OF three
years This 1t is proposed to 40 by process
of enlistment under which the serviceSpis ,nS
w
the nselyes to serve with the colors for pur-
poses of training for short periods through
out three years, and to come to the coiors =
at call at any time throughout an Gaait,onai noa
,furIouKh, period of three years. This 1orco
OF 400. 600 men would be provided with per.
sonal accoutrements as fast as enlisted anu
their equipment for the field made reaoy
to be supplied at any time. Ihey Wou,u ~ :.
at convenient places in association with
suitable units of the Regular Army. Their
period of annual training would not neces-
sarily exceed two months in the year.
At least SO much my way OF preparation
for defense seems to me to be eosoiuteiy
Imperative now. We cannot do less.
Navy Programme Similarly Conceived.
Tho programme which will be laid before
you by the Secretary OF the Navy u similar
| " conceived, 1t involves only shortening
Of the time within which plans long ma ma
| tuned shall be carried out; but II ooef
|
which has heretofore been only implicit. held
In the minds OF the committee on naval ar
| fairs and disclosed In the debates or the
1 two houses but nowhere formulated or lor-
nally adopted. IT seems to me very ciea.
that It will be to the advantage OF the
country for the Congress to adopt a com
| prehenslve plan for putting the Navy upon
| q final footing of strength and efficiency
and to press that plan to completion witnih
| the next five years We have always looked
to the Navy Of the country as our first
and chief line OF defense; we have always
seen 1t to be our manifest course or pru.
dence to be strong on the seas; s.. y, Year I,,oS oS
now ranks very high indeed among the
navies of the maritime nations. We should
| now definitely deetrmine how we shall com
plete what we have begun. ana now soon.
! The programme to be laid before you con.
templates the construction within five year,
Of 10 battleships, battle cruisers. 10 scou
cruisers, so destroyers, IL fleet submarines
So coast submarines 1 sunboats. 1 hospita
and repair chip. It Is proposed that o.
this number we shall the first year pro
vide for the construction OF battleships
battle cruisers, scout cruisers. 10 destroy
ers, fleet submarines. 20 coast submarines
2 gunboats and hospital ship; the secont
year, . battleships, scout cruiser. 10 de
stroyers, fleet submarines, IL coast sub
! third year, Q battleshlps, battle cruiser
scout cruisers. destroyers. fleet sub
marines and 15 coast submarines; the fourtl
, year, Q battleshlps, 2 battle cruisers. 3 scou
cruisers, 10 destroyers. fleet submarines
Is coast submarines l ammunition ship an
/ fuel oil ship: and the fifth year. battle
ships battle cruiser, scout cruisers, l
! destroyers, fleet submarines, 16 coast sub
i marines, ! gunboat ammunition ship an
: | repair ship.
The Secretary of the Navy is asking ais
for the immediate addition to the personns
of the Navy Of 1900 sailors, $500 apprsntic
! seamen and 1900 Marines This increas
a would be sufficient to care for the ship
q which are to be completed within the fisea
. . year 1917 and also for the number of me
= which must be put In training to man tn
+ ships which will be completed early in 1915
A II is also necessary that the number OF mid
A shipmen at the Naval Academy at Annapoli
should be Increased by at least 800 in orde
that the force of officers should be NOR
l.. rapidly added to; and authority is. aske
It TO appoint, for engineering duties only. ap
= proved graduates of englneering colleges
i and for service in the aviation corps a cer
i tain number OF men taken from .civil life.
! If this full programme should be carrie
:: 19a1, according to the estimates of, survivs
d and standards of classification followed b
g the General Board OF the Department, q
+ effective Navy consisting Of ~ hattleship
j. OF the fret line; battle cruisers, rs battle
II ships OF the second liue;si0 armored cruii
y ers, 1S scout cruisers, fifst-olass cruiser
It second-cass cruisers, 10 third class cruiser
- lpS deStroyers, rs fleet submarines 1bT coa
/ submarines, monitors 20 gunboats. TO,
n supply ships 15 fuel ships, transports.
st tenders to torpedo vessels, 8 vessels OF sp,
IN cial types. and two ammunition ships. TIL
70 would be a Navy fitted to our needs ar
s. worthy Of our traditions.
). Merchant Marine Indispensable.
e But armies and Instruments Of war a.
only part of what has to be considered tf v
l. are to consider the supreme matter of NJ
Of tional self-sufficiency and security in all /
st aspects. There are other great matte
us which will be thrust upon our attentis
Porto Ricans Aroused.
ar New York-News reached here fro
r San Juan, Porto Rico, that the publ
IN La much exarcised nxar TIN corni,