Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-03-21
SENATOR HARDWICK
PRESENTS BILL FOR
MILITARY TRAINING
Would Provide Great Nation
Wide System Which Every
School Having 30 or More
Students Could Adopt
ny RALPH SMITH.

;nv the senate today i'm support of his
hill for the creation of an adequate re-
so-ra army. Senator Thomas w. Hard
,ricl, took occasion to declare that, III
a general way, he is heartily in favor OF
preparedness. and intends supporting d
reasonable program on that SUBJECT
proCram fully adequate to meet the ne
cessities of the present situation ana
fullv calculated TO put this countt =.
IN a position TO successfully defend itself
against any possible war, TO assert ano
enforce its rights. and TO protect anc
defend its people"
Senator Hardwicks speech was inc
first of a series that are TO follow IN the
senate on the question OF preparedness
He spoke for probably an hour with
characteristic forcefulness, and his re
marks were heard with interest by a
large number of senators. Mr.. Hard
Nvick's speech showed evidences OF care
full preparation both as to the general
subject of preparedness and as TO the
army reserve measure of which he IS
the author.
The senator said that. to a certain eX-
tent the national guard of the various
states can be made the basis OF re
serve army. He declared in favor OF
increased appropriations to promote the
efficiency of the guard, to make the
tractive and pOpu.a ar as possible.
But" he confirm ed, there are at
least two strong objections to the policy
of relying entirely upon the national
guard as the ccrHtry's sole reserve
force.
''First-The troops owe allegiance,
first of all, and properly so, to the vari-
Gus states; in times OF peace the United
States can exercise little or no real con-
what
ever influence il can exert must be
,;ore in an indirect and awkward way,
Through holding out the reward OF
promised appropriations, or threat OF
withdrawing appropriations already
made.
"Second-Under the constitution OF
the United States congress alone has
power to call the state troops into the
service of the general government, and
then only to execute the laws of the
union, suppress instructions and repel
invasion"
The senator gave it as his opinion
that congress will make further and
more generous provision "for organic
ing, arning and disciplining the militia,
but" he said. lit should ever be borne
in mind that they are state troops, and
owe their primary allegiance and obedi-
erce to the states"
SENATOR HARDWICK'S PLAN.
Senator Hardwick then read the bill
which he has prepared and introduced.
Continuing, he said:
According TO the census OF 1910 there
we're attending the schools and colleges
OF the United States 1,94S,S9S males Of
all classes, fifteen years of age and over.
OF this number 1,7S2,300 were whites,
I5S. 769 were negroes andsl2,329 were In
dams, Chinese and others.
Military training in connection with
the schools and colleges is so desirable
and so beneficial that a large percentage
of weIl-to-do parents send their boys
10 schools that afford such training.
The bill I offer does not make it
compulsory on any school or college TO
accept its benefits. and no school or col
lege can do so unless il has at least
fifty boys of age and over, who are de-
sirous of accepting, and agree with the
full consent of their parents or guard
ians TO do so.
IF the bin shouldbe enacted into law,
I believe, and no man can do more than
predict. until we try ii out that a con-
siderable per centum of all the schools
and colleges will accept the instruction,
arms and equipment under the terms OF
the bill.
IF we get even % per cent of the
boys attending the schools and colleges
20 Join il, then. we would have mag
nifcerft reserve force of 500, 600 men, for
our second battle line.
THE military training and discipline
that these young men would receive
would be incidentally valuable to them,
physically, mentally and morally, and as
each class graduated from school or
college its members would go out into
the walks of civil life with enough mill
tary training and knowledge to render
them able TO give efficient service to
their country. if need should arise
LAS each class graduated the ranks
would be filled by the younger boys
coming on, so that We would have in
this country a constantly increasing
number of young men with some mill
tary training who were capable of de-
Tending the country, without a CORE
spondingly increasing public expense.
These young men could be drilled
and disciplined during the week school
days, and on Saturdays and could be
modified into regiments, brigades, and
even larger units during their vacations.
For this latter service j think they
should receive small compensation, cor
responding to the pay of regular troops.
They could be called into active service
only at the instance of the president Of
the United States himself, and only in
the event Of the United States became
4
pei invasion, suppress instruction, or
maintain peace and order under the con-
stitution of the United States
THE system I suggest does not Of
l fend against our democratic institutions
and instincts, because it has in it not
Z the slightest lace of enforced or com
pulsory military service. 1t will afford
10 our country an insurance policy of
constantly increasing value, as year by
year it increases the number of our
Young men who are made capable of
efficient military service and who could
really and effectively aid in the defense
of the country.
| Tine expense that il entails would be
strictly measured and exactly limited
7 by the results il produces For if, as
/ ] believe. a large number Of young men
/ in our SCHOOLS and colleges are willing.
yea. anxious, TO receive the benefits of
\ this training, then while the expense of
offering. arming, and equipping them
vii! be admittedly large, il will only be
/ large in exact proportion to the number
\ Of reserves il will furnish.
/ Comparatively. 1t will cost far less
/ Than any other efficient system that can
I be devised
IF on the other hand. We get small
returns in the way of reserves the cost
will be small and in an exactly corre-
] Tnurpe