Arizona republican., 1916-01-20


WASHINGTON, Jan. 19.-Major
General Leonard Wood told the SEN
ate military committee today the
coast line of the United States was
open to attack by any well organized
foreign army despite its equipment of
forts, mines and submarines and
that the oceans formed no serious
barrier to invasion. He maintained
that in the countrys present state of
utter unpreparedness for war, a
trained force of 100000 men could in
flict incalculable damage before an
army could be assembled to meet it,
Events of the European war demon
strated clearly, the general said, that
the sea was the best medium for the
movement of troops and he pointed
out that a force of 126,00O men fully
equipped had been landed at CALI
poll from a single expedition of ninety
eight ships against submarines mines
and an underwater screen of barbed
wire which fringed every available
landing place.
Emphasizing his conviction that
troops cannot be improvised to meet
regulars General Wood said the fun
damental basis of any policy of ade-
quate national defense must be the
principle that with suffrage goes an
obligation for> military service. Such
policy was advocated by George
Washington. he said. and if it had
been adopted Canada would have be-
come part of the United States in
the war of 1872.
Only once in our history have we
been prepared for war" he added
That was Immediately after the civil
war, when we had a million and a
half of trained soldiers. Our diplo-
matte correspondence with France at
that time concerning Mexico was
very brief. 1t required only one note
because of our preparedness. France
was told to get out of Mexico and
she got out
There isn't going to be weakness
abroad after this war is over. You
will find that more male children
will have been born than have been
killed or injured
You will have all the gold per-
Tlucn
good unless you stiffen it with iron"
AS to the immediate needs of the
regular army, General Wood expressed
the opinion that the force of regulars
WithA the cOlOrs should be maintained
at 100000. OF these he said, 20, 600
equipped and supplied for years
time should be kept in the Philip
pines; another 10000 in Hawaii and
1000 in Panama. He urged that the
regulars should have reserve sys-
tenn under which, in a six year enlist =
ment, men would be transferred into a
reserve whenever their company COM
manders reported them efficient, to be
definitely assigned to war stations
Equipment for members of the re-
serve would be kept at their stations
and once every two years they would
be required to join the colors for ten
days training to keep them up to
date.
General Wood said that if universal
military service was not to be OBJ
tanned. he favored continental army
scheme substantially as prepared by
the war department.. provided it is
absolutely divorced from the organized
militia
The increases for the regular army
proposed by Secretary Garrison, he
characterized as "absurdly inadequate
and indicating a failure to appreciate
the lessons of the European war par
ticularly as to the proportion of field
artillery. He recommended that the
proportion of field guns be fixed al
five to every 10000 rifles or sabres
The present army standard is 3.9 pei
thousand, although in actual equip
ment the regulars are nearer two pei
thousand. The board recently created
in the war department has fixed OF
80 per thousand as the numbe
necessary.
Reverting to the condition of tn
country to face war the general sait
the United States was utterly UMPIRE
pared and knew nothing of the prob