Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-02-05

/ sary expense Of proper policy. out
| that there would pe legitimate objec-
ton to the adoption OF any policy
which was unnecessarily expensive.
The policy proposed. therefore, pro-
ceeds upon the basis of existing con-
ditions of legal and constitutional ma
ture and recognizes existing institu-
tions and the feeling of the people con-
corning the general subject matter.
The Constitution provides that Con-
gress may raise and support armies.
and under that provision the regular
standing army exists. Il likewise pro
yides that organized militia may b.
maintained in the different states;
that the national government may pro-
vide arms for this force. may decide
upon the nature and character of its
Organization, and may prescribe the
discipline to which il must conform.
1t reserves to the respective states
the right to govern this force, to APP
point the officers thereof, and to
train it.
In time of peace this force is avail
able to the president of the United
States, under the Constitution. to aid
in enforcing the laws of the Union. to
aid in suppressing instructions. and
in repelling invasions There is no
constitutional provision which makes
this force otherwise available to the
nation In time of war and therefore
no law can be passed by Congress
making it so available. In order to
obtain whatever is possible to be OBJ
tanned in this respect, the act of Con.
gress concerning the raising of vo,
unteers provides that such organized
regiments of the National Guard as
volunteer may be taken over into the
service of the United States intact and
not merely as individuals.
II will be seen, therefore, that I'M
der the Constitution there is contem-
plated two kinds of military forces
one national force raised and main
tanned directly by the acts of the ma
tional Congress, and the other a force
raised entirely by the states, to be
governed, Differed, and trained by
them and to be available to the ma
tional authorities in certain specified
instances. -. -...
Need Half Million Men Ready.
IL tile determination arrived at by
those whose knowledge, skill and ex.
perience makes their judgment prac.
tically conclusive is accepted, we
should have in this country a force of
at least SOC, 900 men ready for instant
response to q call in the event Of war
or the iniminence' of war. 1t is surely
not necessary to state the many rea-
sons why this force may not be sup
piled by a regular standing army OF
that number constantly under arms.
For reasons which have just been
pointed outfit Is equally impracticable
to suggest that this force should con-
sist solely of the National Guard tex.
banded to that number. There is no
legal way that ithe National Guard
can, in time or peace, be governed,
Differed, or trained by the national
and there Is no legal way,
excepting by volunteering, that it can
be made available to the nation in
time of war to any greater extent than
specified in the Constitution, which
cOnfessedly falls short of the neces-
sary uses to which an army may have
to be put In the event of war with a
foreign nation. e}s y ~
1t becomes necessary, therefore, to
devise some method of making avail.
able for the use of the nation in time
Of war national force in supplement
Of that part Of the national force, to
wit, the regular army, which is con-
stantly under arms; a part of the
army, in other words, to be raised and
maintained by Congress and governed
In all respects In accordance with its
directions. When this system is de-
vised and made operative the nation
would militarily, be in this situation:
It would have, las the Constitution pro-
yides, an army raised and maintained
by il, composed of certain number
under arms, and a very
much larger number definitely identi-
fed m personnel, provided with equip
ment and organization, possessed OF
some training and subject to instant
call The states would have the or
ganized militia, developed with fed.
eral assistance to the highest prac-
ticable point of efficiency, available
for the purposes specified in the Con-
stitution, and so circumstanced that
in the event OF war with foreign
nation they could, by their own Volt
tior in,r,ndio tniv foko their nlacp with /