The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-05-04

BY FREDERICK PALMER, who has
been only official representative of the
entire American press with the allies.
Copyright. 1915. by the Wheeler Syndicate,
Inc.
TN Europe universal service each
year brings its big draft of new
recruits who must be trained. The
authorities require that the plant
be kept running at full capacity and
the officers kept busy. But when
young American officer goes to a post
he finds that out of those sixty-1ve
men in the company of which he Is
second lieutenant many are re-enlist-
ed men who know their drill already.
There Is nothing to be gained In drill
ing them further. The officers work
becomes necessarily more or less per-
functory.
An American officer rarely has any
chance to take that company out in
maneuvers with thousands of other
men and learn actual war conditions,
which gives the European officer con.
tinual practice and keeps up his ambi,
ton. The American has to treat his
soldiers very gingerly. He has to make
life very comfortable for them. He
must not work them hard. Why? Be
cause they are hired. They are In the
army more or less because existence
is easy, without long hours or hard
work. They get their $3.50 a month
and q good home. If he wants to put
them out on long march or digging
trenches he finds he has made the
army unpopular. DesertionS will fol-
low Congressional complaints will
pour in on the staff. What is the use?
The directing force of the most eff
cient Industrial plant In the United
States would soon lose spirit under
such conditions.
Our officers Not Allowed to Grow Up.
Our officers have the brains, the fin.
est possible rudimentary training, but
they are never allowed to grow up.
Congress keeps them in leading strings.
1t pays them well and refuses to allow
them to make an adequate return to
their employer
Why? Because for generations busy
brains have been weaving webs of red
tape, making more jobs for clerks.
What is the object of the red tape?
Mostly 1t is to prevent peculation. We
go on the principle that an officer of
the United States army can be pre-
vented from the grating only by keep.
ing him under espionage IL he spends
cents he must account for 1t on diff
ferent forms, which cost five times
cents. These are checked off by clerks
whose labor costs ten times 8 cents
But the honesty Of the United States
army survives In spite of such dis
trust. 1t survives in the sense Of hon
or taught at West Point-the honor Of
the service.
European armies hold officers respon
sible for the efficiency of their com
mands and allow them some latitude o.
authority In time of peace as well a:
war This is true no less In demo
cratic France than in Germany, and nj
one considers France as a militaris
nation. The test of an army, however
large or small, Is its readiness for war
Our Army Must Be Standardized.
If we keep an army of only 1000,
men we want the best possible result
for the smallest expense. These W,
may not have with three differen
kinds Of troops - regulars, nationa
guard and volunteers. Some trained
some half trained, some worse thai
unframed, they would be herded to
gether In time of war to be called al
army, but not an army In the Frencl
or German sense. No staff on cart
is clever enough to organize the her
into homogeneous force on short nc
tice. Such a medley is a violation o
the first principle of organization. TIL
star would be marked for publ
clamor, the soldiers for slaughter b
modern military machinery.
In Europe they have learned by hart
experience, as have the men in our in
dustrial organizations, to stick to sim
pie principles In France and in Ger
many there is only one kind of troop
so many regiments Of infantry ant
so many of cavalry and artillery Il
the standing army. trained to an evel
quality of efficiency. Thus a com
mander knows what to depend on; tn
star knows how to organize the cam
paign.
Again, while Europe trains ever
Ablebodied man two or three years an
insists on only one kind Of soldiers 1
one army, we would start in with sew
eral kinds. In defense, where 20
must stand repeated shocks of conceT
trated surprise attacks of superio
numbers against chosen points, this
overwhelmingly essential, and our mi
itary policy, like that of France. mus
be defensive.
To another point. There has been
good deal Of loose talk to the effeC
that the rife is becoming obsolete; tn
machine gun has taken its place. N
one ever hears that on the actual from
In defense the machine gun is inva
liable. Until 1t is put out of action b
artillery it mows down an infantT
charge. But IL any one thinks thu
the day Of the rife is past let him e.
pose himself thousand yards in froI
Of the enemy's trench-fiIst maxim
his will. In FIVE minutes at least the
will get him-the rifles of the shar
shooters win. At 500 yards they wi
get him In half a minute. 1t is Il
FLORIDA FIRST