The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1916-11-09
TORECRUlT ARMY
TOFULLSTRENCTH
Circular to Officers Who Have
Been Assigned To That Service.

'OihliS vi tue new system OF recruit
ing, regular army officers are Of the
opinion that it will soon result in a big
increase in the number of recruits need
ed to swell the army to the strength
authorized by the Defense Act. The
AdJutant Generals department is now
conducting systematic and energetic
recruiting campaign to that end.
The new plans for recruiting have
been worked out by Col. G. W. Read
and are set forth in a.circular letter to
officers in the recruiting service. Col.
Reads idea is that the recruiting service
should have at least one representative
in every county in the United States,
and the Postmaster provision of the
Defense Act supplies this requirement.
''To meet demands for the present
and the immediate future" Col. Read
says in his circular, 'the recruiting
service must be capable of furnishing
annually an average of one recruit per
thousand of population. This result
can be accomplished only by canva ssing
every accessible locality in the United
States and establishing through the aid
of the avable postmasters, a convent
emily located recruiting agency for each
small area.
Hereafter, without lessening the
efforts that have heretofore been made
to procure recruits in the cities and
large towns, special additional efforts
must be made to thoroughly comb all
the rural sections. This can be done
effectively only by securing the CO.
operation of the postmasters. In fix
ing the limits of present recruiting
districts, it has been necessary to trans
fer few auxiliary stations from one
district to another. Very little incon-
venience to recruiting officers, and any
reduction in strength of party arising
therefrom will be only temporary.
There is enclosed separate sheet
which shows at a glance the total num-
Der Of recruits which the district should
produce annually lat a rate of one per
thousand of population. Based upon
the number of enlisted men now on re-
cruiting duty, each such enlisted man
should procure an average of 100 re
recruits per year. The minimum num-
Der of men at present available for
each district will be found by dividing
the annual quota of recruits for the
district by 100
ut is expected that recruiting off.
GERS, beginning November l, 1916, will
make full use of the more attractive en-
Iistment period as an argument to in
crease enIistments. They are also
authorized to offer assignment to an or
ganIzation stationed in the United
States to all applicants who desire to
enlist, with furlough to the reserve
after one years honorable service, IN
der the provision of section 27, Ma
tional Defense Act. By explaining to
such applicants that it will be easier to
qualify for Through to the reserve IN
der this provision, in the infantry. en-
lstments for that arm may be greatly
encouraged. When assignment to an
organization in the United States is
promised under this authority, the nota-
ton ~. S. only" will be made on the
papers and sent to the depot.
The cavalry is now in excess. Re
cruIfiDCr Cffoar ,,,,-f wall - r. -
induce applicants for cavalry to enlist
for another arm, particularly infantry.
until further notice. No change can be
made at present in the rule suspending
enlistments for colored regiments, ex-
cept in cases of former soldiers, and
then only for arms in which they pre-
viously served.
I'm their educational campaign re-
cruiting officers should make it clear
that while the army offers a sure and
honorable means of livelihood to the
average man in search of employment.
it now offers a great opportunity to
young men who desire to prepare them
selves for military service in time of
war. Under the law authorizing fur
Tough to the reserve after one wears
service, any young man who meets the
requirements for enlistment may re-
ceive, without expense to himself, a
training and discipline of much greater
value than that for which thousands of
business men and students all over the
country have been willing and anxious
to take at their own expense at the an
nual training camps at Pittsburgh and
elsewhere.
''All these men realize that the time
spent by them in training at these
camps has been too short. A year of
honorable service in the army, with the
resulting physical training, discipline
and the military knowledge acquired,
will be invaluable to any man who de-
sires to be prepared to serve his country
IN time of war and will greatly increase
the efficiency in his chosen pursuit in
civil life.
with respect to the outlying coun-
ties, 1t will do no harm to inform the