Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-05-13
A Citizen Army
BY Frederic J. Haskin

Philadelphia, Pa, May 9.-Philadel-
phia is mobilizing. While most OF the
nation, is discussing preparedness,
Philadelphia has ten thousand men
ready, in theory at least, to take the
field When the recent Sussex crisis
arose with Germany, the leaders Of the
local army wired Secretary Baker that
their ten thousand stood behind him.
The organization is formally known
as Philadelphia citizen army, and
intends eventually to recruit up to a
strength of $4,000 Moreover, in the
large plans which inspire the founders
Philadelphia's corps is to be only the
nucleus of national citizen army Of a
million men.
Locally people speak of the corps as
"Drexel Biddle's Citizen Army" or
more Familiarity as "Biddle's Army"
Therein lies the whole story, For this
is a unique army, a paradoxical army.
1t is one mans army, yet it gets more
men than the national guard. 1t is
a rich mans army, yet in some ways
it is an ideal army for poor man to
join.
The army had it's birth in A. J.
Drexel Biddle's brain. He is figure
paper readers, his exploits as an anna
teur boxer combined with his sudden
determination to found worldwide
chain Of bible classes having given
material for much picturesque copy"
Less well know perhaps. is the fact
that his bible classes have been nush-
ed along until they number 100000
members. Now he is pushing his army
in something the same way
The ORIGINAL idea of the corps, and
the idea that still animates it's leaders,
was sin,nlv to "show congress that 1t
can be done" Several months ago 1t
became apparent that the country
wanted preparedness. but the powers
that be seemed unable to decide just
where to begin and what to do. Phila-
6elphia's citizen armv is in the nature
Of a concrete suggestion. laboratory
demonstration of how citizen armies
are built.
Being we'll endowed with this
worlds goods and in close touch with
men of wealth. Mr.. Biddle was in
nosition to put his ideas into practice.
He wanted to get the rank andsflle of
Philadelphia out and rive them mill
tary training. somewhat after the
Swiss or the Australian fashion, with
out interfering with their regular
work. If the citizens of Philadelphia
really wanted an army corps, was the
implication. let them come out and
form one, without waiting for instruc-
lions from authority.
At first it looked as If they didn't
want one. After lengthy negotiations.
a number of officers were loaned by
the government to act as drill masters.
Thousands of recruiting circulars we're
sent around explaining the scheme.
and setting the first meeting at Lans-
downs. country place near Philadel-
phia. Thousands of dollars were spent
to get publicity. Front page adver.
tisements were inserted in the news
napers. When the day arrived. it
found Mr.. Biddle at Lansdowne with
ten officers The recruits were there
too-as many as sixteen of them.
The new army was apparently =
fiasco. It looked like failure. But
Mr.. Biddle remembered his bible class
experience, when he had started with
four men. He looked over the sixteen
recruits. and they were heterogen-
eous collection, especially from the re-
ligious point of view There were
three Jews. four Roman Catholics, an
atheist or two, and members Of sew
eral Protestant denominations. Never
theless. the aggregation were called on
to start the army by saying the Lords
PRAYER. This they did, and the first
drill was postponed while the recruit
ing campaign went on.
Before long the tide began to turn.
and enough men came out to start the
drilling After two weeks, names
were pouring in, until now, as stated
before, the corps numbers ten thou
sand. with fair prospect of getting
the $4,000 set for a goal.
The work consists in bi-weekly
drills with strenuous weekend drilling
at Lansdowne. Saturday and Sunday
are devoted to the latter, and into
these two days the men in charge are,
contriving to cram twenty-eight hours
of military practice of one kind or an
other Tents, food and equipment are
furnished. sE
In the matter of meeting expenses.
the corps is calling on the wealthy
men of Philadelphia. A campaign has
just been launched to raise 100000 to
cover the cost of prospective expan.
sion The theory is that each recruit