Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-02-27
Consider Regular Army and
National Guard In
sufficient.
GARRISON VOLUNTEER
PROJECT ABANDONED
Senate and House Commit
tees Want Prac-
tical Test.

w ing tendency TO provide for a
federal army reserve in addition to the
regular army and federalized national
guard, was manifest today in both the
house and senate military commit
tees Members of both committees
said they favored practical test Of
the possibility of forming Il federal
volunteer army in peace times on
lines somewhat similar to the CONT
mental army plan. The apparent in
tention to abandon the continental
project wholly was one of the causes
leading up to the resignation of Sec
retary Garrison.
The house committee agreed today
upon general terms of bill it expects
to get before the house within ten
days providing for "A regular army
with an authorized peace strength Of
143, 900 men: "A federaliZed national
guard which would reach fixed
| minimum strength of $4,000 in five
/ years: adequate reserve systems for
| both of these forces; the organization
| of civilian training camps with wide
discretion reposed in the war depart
ment as to the terms of enlistment,
training and government.
Agreed on Plan.
The senate committee has agreed
7 tentatively to a plan under which
training camps would be authorized
in every congressional district where
sufficient men volunteered for train
ing under an obligation for war serv-
ice. The maximum force to be thus
raised in any district would be a bat
talon or substantially the same num-
Der as proposed for the first year of
the Garrison continental army plan.
The camps would be under command
of full compliments of regular army
officers.
Members of both committees, while
saying they would support any good
plan for federalizing the national
guard as first line force. frankly
admitted today that they had doubts
whether requisite force could be
| enlisted in the national guard, even
under the proposed federal pay and
regulation provisions. Representa-
tive Kahn. who has advocated an ex-
tension of the business mems train
ing camp idea to all citizens who
would not enlist in the regulars or
the national guard, said today that
with thirty thousand men already en-
rolled for extensive military training
this summer without government
aid, he had received assurances that
fully one hundred thousand would be
available next year under this plan.
Senate FavOrs Plan
Members of the senate committee
are understood to take u similar view.
The tentative plan they are consider
ing Is in addition to the regular army
and federalized national guard pro-
posals and is intended to reach men
who would not be found in either of
those services.
The house committee arrived at its
regular army figures as comprom-
Use after suggestions of peace
strength of two hundred and twenty
thousand; one hundred and eighty
thousand, and one hundred and fifty
thousand had been voted down by
narrowing margins A nonpartisan
vote finally fixed upon $4,000 or two
thousand more than recommended by
the war department, with a provision
designed to allow percentage of over
enlistment to maintain that strength
at all times. With this provision the
total strength authorized would be
$4,000 To provide officers to carry
out work of instruction at schools,
among militia regiments and for other
special duties. one thousand addition
al men in the commissioned personnel
was agreed upon as against an in
crease OF 1856 proposed by the war de-
partment.
Increase Tn Fields
The increases over the department
figures would be in field and coast
artillery. the former being doubled
over its present strength. A total of
IL regiments of 10S batteries Is con-
templated. The mine and torpedo
defenses and one half the guns in
fixed Notifications would be available,
with an additional complement to man
the proposed mobile guns to be ad-
ded.
The bill also provides that ma
tional guard officer from each organ
ization be detailed to attend regular
army service schools OF the proper
arms, receiving the pay of his rank
in the regular army whileon such
duty 1t contemplates authorizing the
president to draft the guard into the
federal service at any time he deems
best. without awaiting specific author
ity of congress, and would remove all
restrictions on the force outside the
country.