The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1916-02-23
BY L.. b. JOHNS.

State Senator Kent Z. Keller, of Illi-
nos, who is in Washington advocating
the creation of an American School
Army" proposes to have an experimental
division established at the National Capt.
tai. The plan OF Senator Keller Is really
an elaboration of the scheme proposed
lin the Hoke Smith bill which was intro
duced recently by the Senator from
Georgia as an amendment to the arm!
bill.
Senator Keller was educated in Heidel-
burg. Germany. and spent considerable
time studying the military policies OF the
European nation. He-had prepared an
article on it before the European war
and the events in the great conrict nave
only confirmed his convictions that there
should be a radical reform in the MILL
tary policy OF this country.
Like Senator Smith. the State legislator
| of Illinois would convert the regular
army into training school for boys ana
young men. He would begin the tram
ing between the ages of fifteen and eigh-
teen and would continue II for q period
| of three years.
| The plan Of training cadets at West
Point is followed by Senator Keller. II
provides for two or three hours daily in
military drills and training. The remain
ling time is TO be devoted to study along
general educational lines. special atten-
ton being paid to agriculture. manual
training. trades and those things that
iare best adapted to hitting men Tor the
practical work OF HE
| For the education which the boys would
receive in the army they would agree to
serve in the reserve and respond TO the
call of the country in the event OF war.
IOut of this school could be developed.
mot only the officers for reserves. but for
THE regular army. Those who show spe-
lcial military talents would be sent TO
the West Point Military Academy. This
method. he thinks. should be pursued In
Iflling the military academy.
Eventually Senator Eeller's plan pro
vides for a school army which would
train and educate annually 100000 ooy'
apportioned among the states. However
he realizes that it would be Impossible
to induce Congress to enter upon such g
radical change in Ne military policy Of
the country on such an extensive scale
He, therefore, proposes that an expert
mental army division be established a
Washington.
An army division consists roughly o
over 5000 men when 1t is at wa
strength. Every arm and branch or tn
service is represented in II, and this plsI
would give the War Department an op
scheme A division at Washington wOulC
be of invaluable service to the War De
partment and Congress in working gu
any new feature of the military program
The General STAFF could give Congress
object lessons in the Importance OF hav
. ing a well-balanced army. II would b.
an education TO Congress as well as q
the boys that enlist in the army. /
Congress could witness the maneuvcrs o
/, complete division it could obtain al
accurate idea as to the relations between
the different arms Of the service. Thi
, might decrease the number of member
, of Congress who believe that our arm!
should consist of aerOplanes.
= The reports of the annual wallow o
the Manila corral OF the Military Orde
of the Carabao which have been fecelve
in Washington indicate that the peopl
In the fGr-ofr Philippines are following
; political events in the States with alb
, sorbing interest. The same songs tina
were sung in Washington were rehearse
! in the far-off islands, but the Mani
j Corral ventured a little farther upon IN
! domain of politics than the Washingto
organization. r..