Evening star., 1916-01-02
SAYS CONSCR|PT|ON
IS THE ALTERNATIVE
Secretary Garrison Discusses
Proposed Plan for a
Larger Army.
THINKS 500, COO CITIZENS
MUST BE READY FOR CALL
Points Out Necessity of Doing Some
thing Quickly Looking to Ade-
quate Defense System.


quate Defense System.
Take my plan for an increased
standing army and a continental force
of federal volunteers, or resort to con-
scription in time of need" This. in eff
feet, is the explanation made by Secre
tary Garrison of the underlying reasons
which led him to make his recommen-
dations for national defense. as far as
the army is concerned. which have been
the cause of comment far and wide,
pro and con.
The Secretary of War states that his
reason for recommending certain
number of men for the standing army
is because he knows it is possible to
get that number. that they can be
housed. trained. clothed. fed and equip
ped with present facilities; and that
they can promptly be turned into SOL
diers. That the National Guard can
not be increased from $4,000 to 40o,-
900, he states, is the opinion of many
expert officers of that organization.
idea Not New One.
In pointing out that the volunteer
principle must be depended upon in the
United States. Secretary Garrison
points out that the underlying idea in
his recommendation is as old as the re-
public, that it was put forth in the
time of Thomas Jefferson. and that Gen.
Emory Upton pointed out it's need and
value in 1881, after studying the armies
of the world.
II have no pride of authorship he
said. but something for adequate de-
Tense must be done promptly"
SaprafarV'c
suit of questions that have been put
to him in private interviews from time
TO time. and, in part, is in categorical
FORM With the exception of few in
tro&uctory questions, the statement is
as follows:
The first conclusion i reached was
that you could not and should not meet
the situation with a regular standing
army of the size necessary for the pur-
pose. There is practical agreement that
at least SOC. 900 men should be subject
to the call and command of the Presi-
dent for a first line in the event of a
war of any considerable size To this
must be added the troops needed for
oversea garrisons- Between 100000 and
100000 men would have to be recruited,
equipped, housed, clothed fed, officered
trained and maintained The initial cost
would be stupendous and the annual
outlay enormous. 1t would result prac-
tically on the nation relying solely on
paid professional army instead of the
main reliance being where it should be
in self-governing community upon the
citizens as a whole trained and obli-
gated for the primary duty of citizen
ship.
Power of the Congress.
Recruiting for the regular army
shows the utmost present maximum is
10000 a year, so that the only way a
large standing army can be raised is by
cOnSrrinfinn 0r
sress has. of course. the power to enact
such laws. 1t will not do so. however.
unless and until their constituents show
strong insistent desire for them. /
dld not and do not see any such united
demand as promises any such result
now or in the near future. 1t seems to
me. therefore. that it would be the
height of folly to found policy upon a
nasis that Is not now in existence and
mat II may take years to obtain
What did determine the size of the
regular army you possess?'
rne tact that we can get ii. can house
~ without extra barracks and quarters
can oucer and organize. equip and train
II promptly. The $4,000 I ask for will
garrison the oversee possessions. give
US DO ofhcers and above $4,000 men for
the harbor defenses of continental
Lhited ftates. and about $4,000 mobile
army troops with their officers and the
extra officers and non-commissioned
ofhcers needed for training the other
military forces.
Sufficient for Nations Needs.
iIis force is sufficient for the needs
oi the country in any time short of
war For internal disturbances, border
ou'E or as an expeditionary force il is
ample. 1t is sufficient for the other
great and Imperative duty of training
the citizen forces. II the organizations
stoned officers 1 have asked for are
granted. we will have sufficient regular
army organizations of cavalry. field
artillery and infantry to instruct and
train the supplement to the regular
army"
How do you propose to make up your
first line:"
With the regular army. the conti
mental army and whatever of the Ma
for service"
What about the idea that the Ma
nonal Guard could be made the only
other force outside the regular army
and form with il the first line?
To that matter | gave the most pro-
found consideration of which / am
capable and obtained the views OF
every one whose experience might help
to a wise decision.
u realized the sentiment in favor of
doing that IL il was possible. / felt
mat th.e men and officers of the qua rd
had been working hard and with great
embarrassments and obstacles and
nothing would have pleased me so
much as to have been able to determine
conscientiously that / could recon-
mend that solution of the problem 1t
Is not, however, possible to do SO IL
you study the conditions and the facts
Power Under Constitution.
In the first place. the very concep-
tion of the Constitution was of two
: separate forces-one for national mr.
poses solely-the other primarily for
state purposes and only to very lin
tied extent for national purposes Since
the state troops could be used for some
federal purposes the Constitution pro-
Sides that the national government
may prescribe the organization of the
state militia: that is. may determine
what kind Of troops they shall be, NAV
furnish them with arms and may pre
scribe the discipline by which they
must be trained. The Constitution
vests the government of the state mi
ltia in the states. and provides that
the states shall appoint the officers and
train the troops.
The very first necessity of any sue