Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-02-04
ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF AGRl-
CULTURE HAS NEW PLAN TO
PREPARE FOR WAR.
LAND GRANT SCHOOLS
MIGHT ACCOMPLISH MUCH
Military Training Suggested as Addi-
ton to Curriculum Of Four.Ysar
Course - Expense to Government
Would Be Small, Results Large, Ar.
CUES Secretary vrooman.
Especial Correspondence

Washington, Feb. At the move
ment for preparedness results in i'm
portant steps toward the reorganiza-
ton of the army SYSTEM as it appar-
emily will the Indications are that
something will be done in the direction
OF securing more men who have been
trained for the duties of officers. This
subject, it is known, is receiving Sc
rious consideration among many of the
men in congress who are bordering on
what to do to provide this country
with a strong reserve force.
The interesting plan of Assistant
Secretary of Agriculture vrooman Is
receiving no little attention. Mr.. Vroo=
man believes that if congress will aid
to the extent of furnishing a compare
lively small sum, the land grant col
leges will be able to supply a large
share of the $4,000 officers which Gem
Leonard Wood says would be needed
in case OF war with first class
power.
Assistant Secretary Vrooman be-
lieves the best way to obtain trained
men for officers, additional to those
now provided thru West Point and
otherwise, is thru the land grant COL
leges, which means the state colleges
of agriculture. He has Just returned
from advocating this idea in a num-
Der of states of the middle west in
Guiding Iowa. He returned feeling that
the student bodies he addressed were
strongly in favor of the plan and he
believes that IL congress would adopt
it 30 out of 100 students in the land
grant colleges would volunteer for
training.
Endorsed by Military Men.
Mr.. Vrooman's plan has the en-
dorsement of the military authorities
1t provides for a federal appropriation
sufficient to increase the scope Of the
military instruction already given at
the land grant colleges, to provide uni
form and equipment free and to es-
tablish summer vacation camps to
which students would go at public ex-
pense and receive in addition $50 per
month. Most of the boys in these. coll
leges are working their way thru and
Mr.. Vrooman says 1t will be impossible
to get them to enlist for this field
work unless paid. It is proposed to
train them in the open, under simu-
lated war conditions, just as at West
Point. In a fourSXear course. each
student who volunteered would have
lad three summers m the. fie1d-one'
more than the West Pointers-drill,
target practice. general training and
lectures on theory and art Of war. Be-
sides he would have acquired a good
college training.
1T is pointed out by Mr.. vrooman
that the land grant colleges each year
turn out more potential officers than
do all other sources combined includ-
ing West Point and the regular army.
No Sympathy With Bryan Idea.
Tho long a political and personal
friend Of Bryan, Mr.. Vrooman has no
sympathy with the Bryan ideas of
unpreparedness. Mr. Vrooman saws
the plan Of preserving peace by allow
ing some countries to arm fully for
aggression and allowing other coun-
tries to go unprepared is the plan that
has broken down rather than pre-
paredness as means Of preserving
peace.
Had England been as well prepared
on land as on sea, according to Mr..
Vrooman, or had Belgium been as
well prepared as Switzerland, the con-
ditions in Europe today would be diff
ferent and much that happened woul6
not have happened. Belgium fell be-
tween "the two stools Of preparedness
/. and complete disarmament and was
crushed" he has told some OF his au-
diences and was in condition much
like that Of the United States
"a Much Of the opposition to prepared
ness Mr. yrooman traces to Bryan and
much to the notion commonly held that
the American is natural soldier who
can fight with little training. He Is
seeking to dispel this idea and the idea
that the munitions makers are chiefly
inspiring the sentiment for national
defense.