The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1916-08-01
essential assurance Of security; II is n
nereSsarV safcGuard Of peace.

|
| necessary safeguard Of peace
Il is apparent that "" are shockinEly
/ unprcp pared. There IS II" room FOR con-
| lr"Trre! on this point since the Object
! lesson m III" Mexican border. All our
| availahl" regular troops tl"sS. ] h"ltev".
than 81 0n"i arc Their" ut III Mexico, and
rs thoS" hav" been deemed lnsuffirl"nt
! the cn'ir" National Guard has been or
d"r"d out: that IL. W ar" sumnnnIHE
! practically alt our movable military
| forces IN order :" prevent bandi, incur
Si"nS. In vi"w Of the warnings of inc
past thr"" years. il * ln"Acusahl" that
"" should find ourselves in This plight.
For our faithful EuardSmcn. VIII" with
I Il fine patriotism responded 20 this call
| and are hearing this burden. ! hay"
/ nothing hut praise But think il liitls
! short OF absurd that we should be com
J rc!l"d In call men from their shops.
their factories. their offices and their
! professions for such purpose. rms.
| however. IS not all. The units of the
| National Guard wer" At peace strength.
which was only about "nc-half III" re-
! uuirrd strength. 1t was necessary Ia
! l. ring in recruits. for The most part raw
! and unframed. only small p"rCcntaG"
# TIA" regiments recruited up Ia war
I strength will have had even q year
! training IN the National Guard. which
Al m" maximum means one hundred
/ hours If military drill. and. on the aver
age means much less. Take the eastern
! depart mrnt rs IN illustration. The
| states In inlS department contain hbi'ul
| :" per cent "f the entire organized mill
| tia Of the country. | am Informed. by
competent authority. that the qun,n OF
militia from his department. recently
summoned with tho units raised 10 war
| strength as required would amount 1"
| about 13l .nnn men: that in response 10
! this call ihare are now cnroutc 1" or
, on the border about Ii.h00 men. and IN
camp in their respective states about
!! Is, 900 men; and thus. after what has al
| ready heen accomplished. there still! re-
mains to hc supplied in recruits about
: soon men Men fresh from their peace
! full employmcnts and physically unprc-
! pared have been hurried 10 the border
! for actual service. They we're without
proper equipment; without necessary
| supplies; suitable conditions or trans
| portation were not provided. Men with
dependent families we're sent; nnd con.
ditions which should have been we'll
known were discovered after III" event.
, And Yet the exigcncy. comparatively
! speaking. was not very grave one J.,
! involved nothing that could not readily
have been forcsecn during the past thrG"
years Of disturbance. and required only
! a modest talent for organizations. That
! this administration while pursuing MS
course in Mexico should have permitted
such conditions to exist is almost in
| credible.
In the demand Of reasonable prepared
IS the administration has followed. not
! led. Those who demanded more ado
|
, nervous and excited" Only about II
| year and Il half ago we were told that
! the question Of preparedness was not a
! pressing one: that ;hc country had been
! misin formed. Laicr. under tho pressure
! Of other leadership. this attitude was
| changed. The administration. It was
said. had Learned something" ana il
/ made 4 bclaled demand for an incrca Scd
army Even then. the demand was not
! prosecuted consistently and In" pressure
! cXrricd IN Congress with respect tn
| other administration measures was
J notably absent. Tho President address,
! Cd Congress nut little oyer six months
! ago. presenting the plans OF the war de-
! partmcnt. and Congress was formally
/ essential first steps" They Cunt"m-
| plated an rcr"aS" of The standing force
! Of the regular army from its then
! strength Of aces officers and l02.!S5
J enlisted men TO Il strength rf I.l3a off
! GERS and l%i.707 enlisted men. or 1853
! all told. II was said that the additions
) wnr" "n"crsSary to render ihr army ade-
! QUata for its present duties" Further.
! It was proposed thar ~" army should ne
| supplemented by & fore Ut iun. 400 dis
! Ciplinrd citizens raised in incr"m' MS Of
| l33.on0 p ycnr. through period ~; three
wears. At least so much by wa Of
! preparation for DEFENSE seemed to the
! rres idnnt To b. "ahsnluiely imDeTatiT"
I now" He said: We cannot do less"
! Hul within NV" months This program
was p abandoned and III" able secretary 0f
! war who had devoted himself persist
| entity To this important question foil so
| k"enly tn" chang" in policy that II" 90
: signed from ;hr cabinet. EnW. the
| Army Organization Eill provides Cor an
/ army on paper Of ITS,hhn but in fact it
! provides for only ln5.0oO enlisted! luen