The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-01-18
u. S. FORCE ONLY HOPE,
SAY GARRISON AND WOOD
p%aredness, and Point to Inadequacy of Developing
Militia, in Speeches at Bankers Dinner.

Tho Secretary Of War and the senior
General of the United States army. two
OF the guests Of honor Of the city bank
ers AT the Hotel Aston last night. said
as strongly as they could that the militia
has always failed this country in time
of need and that II Is absolutely Inn
possible TO construct a system Of real
military preparedness II that system Ia
to he based upon a development of the
national guards OF the forty-eight states.
Mr.. Garrison In particular more than
limited that the great concern OF the VIII
son administration Is that h advocates
Of sham" preparedness will fight to the
last ditch for the upbuilding OF the militia
as against the administration and Cen
eral Staff plan Of a strictly Federal force.
The Secretary warned his hearers that
the preparedness programme Is In actual
danger and tina no effective military
system be secured unless the people
arouse themselves and insist. insist and
keep on insisting that Congress does It's
duty and listens to common sense talk
from men who know what the country
needs.
Gen. wood went into detailed history
IN exposing the unreliability OF the
militia as "A dependable force and the
in%yariable failure OF the volunteer sys-
TEN. Neither speaker criticised the per
sonnet of the National Guard orSaniza-
tions. That wasn't their point. but
they did declare unsparingly that forty
eight little armies commanded by
semi commanders. are o,
| mighty little use 10 a nation when rea'
| trouble looms. Both insisted that a
national force, absolutely under Federal
control. an army bossed by one chief. Is
the only possible system to have
Noted bankers Prcsent.
h annual banquet of the bankers OF
the city. who constitute Group VIII. OF
the state Bankers Association. was one
Of the largest and most interesting puo'
lie dinners OF the season so far. more
than 1000 men who direct the aHairs VI
New York's financial institutions or "ne
are masters of the city's greatest bust
NESS enterprises, occupied the tables al
the Astor. Any statistician would nave
heen appal,ed II asked to compute the
sum total of the financial power repre-
sonted at the dinner. ,
I-pon the dais where Charles EIiio'
| Warren presided. were secretary parrl,
son. Mayor Mitchell. Major-Gen' Leonaru
Mood. pwigh W. Morrow.
1'homas Charles a. Hanna. John a
Eloepfer. Eugene Lamb Richards. the
Right Rev. Charles Sumner burch
pferre Jay. Frank A. Nanderlip. Georsf
+. Baker, Alexander Gilbert. rear Hu'
niral Charles u. Sigsbee. l. ;. NJ re-
Ih,,y,N InTnh II
Schi0. James :. Alexander. william a
NASH. BENJAMIN strong. Jr., Col. Fred
e,dck +. Farnsworth and william Scherer
Among those at the small tables whicf
| accommodated the bankers ana theli
guests were Pliny Fisk. X. A.. L. sni,h
Wilbur q. Fisk. :. ". Gu~ggenheim. JONI
II Ueyeman, Mortimer !. Schin. Juiu'
kruttschnitt. Il. &. Stokes. George i
Wilson, James a. Stillman. WIZARD II
| Straight, Comptroller William A. fren'
d~ergast, Edgar l.. Marston. James Is
Duke. P.rriyal =. hin. Albert II. wig
gin. carl ]. Scliuidiapp. II. y. Dawson
| Harry Payne Whitney. Theodore \. vail
tohn u crimmins. James q. cannon
" r Frew. Gen. 7. Coleman du Polt
Finley Peter Dunno. Justice Chester Is
N~rIauphlin \. j. Hemphill, Nicholas f
Drady. James A. Farrell. Francis /.
NUnc. Rodman Wanamaker, "iiiian
II Truesdale. Robert w. Goel~s' fren
eric \. Juilliard. william Loeb, Jr.. r
u. Underwood. f. A. de Lima. cave
~ Mc,iarrah. Edwin :. Marstor
| Charles 4. Peabody. Beekman Winthrop
samuel sloan. Michael Friedsan, ia
conke. Edward II. Stettinlus, t.rnes
Iseliu. James Talcott, Frederick q
Roirue. James Speyer. Alexander ;
W.bb. Darwin l.. Kingsley. Abran NJ
HYATT. Horace iIavemeyer. Frank W
Wentworth. Theodore Rousseau, job
A. Slelcher. Capt. Halstead lporey' L
:. A.. II. c. Brokaw, Angler Il. DUKE
w. De Lancey kountze, -,
Toastmaster Warren In starting IN
speechmak.ng said:
"Our country cannot Ignore the wa
mr. refuse money TO any Of the nation
a, war n they seek II In a bustnesslik
and legitimate way. 1t is interesting Z
note that the total OF our foreign lendini
since the war began is approxinatei
$4,000 o ,OO0.'
Secretary GarrisOn's speech.
Mr.. warren then introduced Secretar
Garrison. whose address was heard VII
that quiet attention which signi1es kee
interest. He said In part:
81 want all those who arc honestly !
favor OF real measures of national de
fence TO know that, unless they disp'a
at least one-half az much interest !
securing something real as the opponent
Of national defence are displaying
secure "a sham. a bitter disappointment
awaits them. Although the sentimen
for real national defence is overwheim
ing, it's supporters, by inactivity, ina,
tention and dispersal Of EFFORT AT TN
critical period, are making It difhcult,
not impossible, to secure II.
1.-THE opposition, although aNuate
by widely differing motives, Is unite
in antagonism. The supporters OF rea
national defence are dividid and dis
persed. and therefore ineffective. The
are wasting their strength by hgntih
against Zach other over details, appaI
emily oblivious to the fact that consid
Grafton OF details is immaterial an
negligible, unless you secure the essen
tIai firm foundation upon which t
build.
Cannot Have AZ Units.
You cannot possibly have any mil