The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1916-12-20
COMPULSORY MILITARY
TRAINING

In order 20 get recruits for the army
and navy the Department of the Gov
eminent have been compelled, liter
ally to go out with the tom-tom to
drum up enlistments. Secretary OF
War Baker in his annual report sub
mitted to Congress a few days ago,
says that 1.-The recruiting service which
is simply one of many employers, has
been unable to secure the recruits
needed" He contrasts the wages paid
soldiers with those that are paid in
private employment, and charges the
failures of the Government to secure
enlistments for the army, to the low
rate of pay for military service. or
the twenty thousand men authorized
by Congress last March, and insistent
ly wanted for the increase OF the reg
ular army, only 8,463 additional men
were enrolled. 1t is conceded by the
War Department that the National
Guardsmen whose terms of service ex-
pire, generally decline to enlist, and
others are not coming in to take their
places.
Major General Hugh L. Scott, Chief
Of the General Staff, in his annual
report just made public, sounds the
keynote of the Army's prospective
fight for universal military training
But that the Army is not of one mind
upon this subject, is shown by the fact
a.. q NJ H.
the position taken by General Scott.
General SCOTS report represents the
views of the fighting men in the Gov
eminent. 1t is an open challenge to
Congress; as he takes the position
that the legislation embodied in the
National Defense Act is not sufficient
to provide the military system the
support that army chiefs believe to be
imperatively demanded. The report
contains scathing criticism of the Ma
tional Guard system, hints at deca-
dence of National patriotism through
failure of the recent recruiting cam
paigns to build the militia TO war
strength, and insist that it is vital that
the National idea with reference to
military service be regenerated
Thousands marched in preparedness
parades to the plaudits of on lockers
says General Scott, but when the
militia was called out in June to pro-
tect our boarder, the spirit was rife
TO let somebody else do it. For our
II 49, H. 1t
ket for recruits. There is no special
appeal for patriotism, no appeal for
the individual to obtain military
training as the highest duty of his
citizenship. Enlistment is held out as
a job" Further on, General Scott
says that universal military training
has been the cornerstone on which has
in the history of the world, and it's
Abandonment is the Signal for decline
and obliteraton"
1t must be remembered that General
Scott is soldier by profession, and
like the other officers he represents,
free from the anxiety and cares that
caused men in the ranks to hesitate
in answering the call of their country
to do police duty on the Mexican
boarder.
The remedy proposed in the interest
of the army and navy is compulsory
military training in the schools, and
the legislatures throughout the coun-
try are to be bombared this winter in
an attempt to carry out this idea
This theory proceeded on the hypo-
thesis that force, and war, are the
only methods to be reasonably en-
ployed in preserving the security of
our nation.
Japan and Australia are the only
two countries on the face of the globe
where there is compulsory military
training in the schools. Germany and
France both tried out and abandoned
the plan. Even the Swiss system is
carried on independent of compulsory
training in schools. There is however
a constant attempt to make it appear
that the proposal in the United States
for compulsory military training in the