Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1916-01-27
ST|MSONUPHO[DS
GARRISON PLAN Of
MILITARY RESERVE
Former Secretary of War TN.
der Taft Says Scheme Is
Next Best to Univer-
sal Service.
OPPOSES NATIONAL GUARD
Militia Valuable Chiefly to
States. He Says, and sug-
gests They Are Valuable
as Secondary Line.

Washington. Jan. ga letter on
military Conditions by Elihu Root.
former secretary Of state, and an ad-
dress, indorsing the administrations
continental army plan, by Henry L.
Stlmson former secretary of war. were
features of the program of the final
session today of the national Security
leagues congress. A number of other
addresses were also delivered.
The congress will close tonight with
q banquet, at which Senator Lodge and
were to be the principal speakers.
Senator Roots letter Endorsed Sec
rotary Garrison's contention that the
national guard could not be depended
upon for the army increase.
Can't Depend on Guards.
1T is idle" wrote Mr.. Root. Ito talk
of developing the national guard itself
into an adequate army for national de-
Tense and any such attempt would in
evitably result in the failure of the
whole movement and the waste Of all
the energy and effort devoted to 1t. The
national guard is for state purposes.
There are good things in Secretary
Garrison's plan. The doing of them
would be progress in the right direc-
ton. But, in the meantime, let us take
the first steps on any sort OF q program
that is directed toward a raine ma
VI tIllLeu SOlllc!N. uIlttSI Tie IL
Struction and administration and form
ative leadership of an adequate. though
SMALL regular army"
Declaring himself in favor of COM
pulsory universe! military service as
the true solution Of the defense prob
lem, Mr.. Stimson aid he regarded the
program now advanced by Secretary
Garrison as the sound initial step.
IF congress is not ready to sanction
universal training" he said, the meas
ureS which are enacted should be those
who. so far as they go, are in accord
which. as tire passes and experience
ripens, will lead most naturally to the
establishment of such a system.
One OF the propositions be-
ing seriously urged before ongress is
that we hould pay our state militia
from the national treasury and should
attempt to develop them into our fed
eral citizen army while they still re-
ain their lega! character as a state
Under the federal constitution, the
national guard or organized militia IS
primarily a state force instead of a
national reserve and I do not believe
that any effective national citizen army
can be created out of a force dominated
by As separate soTereignties. For near
iy Is years enu efforts have been
made by the federal government as
well as by the state authorities to in
crease the numbe of the guard, yet
dt has remained nearly stationary.
Objections To Guard.
at seems to nc that these defects can
be traced directly to the fact that the
national guard is in fact a state mill
tary force which we are also requiring
to do duty for the national government.
So long as such forces exist the states
are tempted to slur their police duties
and to rely wholly upon citizen SOL
diery for that purpose.
What is even worse. there has grad
ually grown up among our laborinG
classes the feeling that the only SOL
diers with whom they are practically
acquainted represent a different class
of the community and are maintained
for the purpose of being used against
them.
Instead of regarding the militia man
as a. citizen training to perform
his duty of defending the country in
case Of real war, the laboring man has
come to regard him as a representa-
tive of capital, being trained as a po-
1iceman against labor.
FINALLY, this liability to state police
duty has tended to shape the term of
enlistment and the training of our mill
tia to the disadvantage of their func-
ton as national troops. Instead of be.
ing trained through brief, but continu-
Gus periods of i%nten3ive work with the
colors and thereafter being left com
paratively free as reservists, the mill
tia men are held to comparatively long
periods with the colorS under a system
of weekly army drills; a system which
is not only the least effective way of
teaching a man to be a soldier, but
also tends. from the length Of time dur
ing which it imposes a continual though
slight obligation upon him, to dixcour-
age enlistment.
1.-The national guard is, other than
the regular army, our only present force
of even partially trained soldiery. Moth
ing should be done TO discourage its
work. but, on the contrary, everything
to stimulate and encourage it.
But such encouragement Shout be
in the direction of transferring it Who'll
ly into TIL, service of the federal gov
eminent and not of pcr%petuating it in
its present status.
to the individual militia man for his
weekly service rendered to the state
seen rs to blur the great lesson which
is emerging from the European war
1t is to yield again TO the theory that
we can induce men to serve their coun-
try,,not as a duty of patriotism. but for
pay"
Mr.. Stimson irdorsed. as sound and
intelligent" Secretary Garrison's plan
to bring the regular army to its proper
basis. but added that. personally, he
thought the regular army now should
be made larger still.
Referring to the recent Mexican Dor
der troubles and the demands OF many
for a punitive expedition. Mr.. Stimsor
said: "It IS conceivable that at almost
any time the hands of our government
may be forced by some such emergen-
cy. vet at the present time, with the
great bulk Of our army massed along
the Mexican border. we have only 90
900 troops there available for such ar
expedition. and. under sober calculation
the Nexicaus nave far more armed mer
and trained troops available for a punt
tive expedition into our territory thar
we into theirs"