Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-23
SHOULD NOT RELY
ON THE MILITIA
Has Always Failed Nation,
Says Former Attorney Gen.
eraI Wickersham.
ADVOCATES THE REPEAL
OF LAW PASSED IN 1908
Shows Evil of Having to Call State
Troops Ahead of Volunteer
Army.

The address of George W. Wicker
sham. former Attorney General of the
United States. at the banquet last night
of the Nauapal Security League at the
New wf1larl Hotel recommended that
two acts of Congress dealing with the
subject of military defense of the
United States be repealed.
The old system" Mr.. Wickersham
said, "of relying upon the states for
voluntary military support, under the
act of Congress which provides that
one-half of the coast artillery shall be
furnished by the states. has failed, as
1t always has failed throughout our
history, to provide us with anything
like the stipulated quota of men. That
law should be repealed. and that other
enactment of congressional folly. APP
proved May %, 1908, which provides
that the organized militia shall be
called into the service of the United
States in advance of any volunteer
force which it may be necessary to
raise, should also be repealed without
delay"
Universal Military Service.
Mr.. wickersham advocated a system
of universal military service to "effec-
lively rid the nation of our accursed
system of bounties and pensions"
Tracing the military history of the
United States and other countries and
comparing them. and analysing articles
of the Constitution of the United States
which deal with military subjects and
national defense, the former Attorney
General went on to speak of the sub
ject of universal military training as
1t affects democracy such as the
United States, the title of his paper
Icing The Duties of Citizenship"
Mir. Wickersham pointed out that we
nave inherited from our English an
cestors wholesome fear of purely
military domination and robust de-
termination that the military shall al
ways be subordinate to the civil pow
en-" But ne went on-giving birds
eye view of the military and naval
deficiencies of the United States and
the present and possible future state of
world politics-to say that the prac-
tical question now presented to the
American people is not the immediate
adoption of system of universal mill
tary training.
Program Is Inadequate.
1--WE are so remote from that" Mr..
wickersham said, that it is only by
starting with the consideration of uni
versal CONSUMPTION that we can realize
how meager and inadequate in COM
parison with it is the most far-reach-
ing program of military and naval ex-
pansion at present advocated by any
responsible authority a necessary
preparation for national defense.
Our army and naval authorities,
both civil and military. with the high
authority of the President of the
United States and the Secretaries OF
War and Navy. have clearly put oefore
the people a statement of our present
deficiencies The facts which they sub
init have passed the bounds OF uncer-
tainty. They are among the demon
strated things which may be taken as
postules in the consideration of the
problem. We know, for example: that
our army today is nearly 5000 below
its present authorized strength
Navy Short 5000 Men.
I'VE know that our navy is short by
nearly 5000 men of it's present author
lied strength. We know that there is
q serious deficiency in ammunition for
our coast defenses. We know that we
lack for our navy battle cruisers. scout
cruisers aeroplanes and armed air
ships: that our submarine fleet is In
critical condition. We are told that the
coast fortihcations in the United states,
fring at the limit of their capacity,
would expend every bit OF ammunition
they posses within forty-hVe minutes
that al Panama one hour and forty
five minutes would exhaust the last
round of ammunition, if the guns were
fired at their maximum rate, and that
there exist no defenses against iano
attack upon the canal works by a hos
tile force disembarking on the racine
side at point about sixty miles south
of Panama and advancing along the
plateau
I'VE are no longer in the happy state
of isolation which We enjoyed when Cen
Washington wrote his farewell message
We cannot surely avoid entangling al
liances with foreign powers. We nave I'M
mense oversee possessions. We under
took eighteen years ago great RESPONSE
bEity in the Philippine Islands which we
must not-nay. cannot-run away from,
however much many of our people would
like TO. We occupy a strategical point IN
the Pacific ocean in the possession OF the
Hawaiian group of islands. Its mainte-
nance is essential TO our national welfare
Its loss would mean such destruction OF
national prestige that its effect upon our
national welfare is scarcely conceivable.
q. S. Strategically Important.
we occupy a strategical point in the
worlds commercial routes in the possession
of the Panama canal Neither Panama
nor Hawaii is properly and safely gar
risoned against possible or even probable
attack. The general staff Of the United
States Army tells us. with the authority
of the Secretary Of War. that force of
about $4,000 men is essential to the pro-
lection OF the Notifications of the Island
of Oahu-we have some 5000 men there
that $4,000 men are essential to the pro-
lection of the Panama oanal-and We
have about 5000 men there.
With a population Of 100. 900 900 souls
in continental United States. we today
have regular army which numbers
about 10000 officers and men actually
under arms. and OF this not more than one
half are on the American continent. The
police forces of thirteen cities Of the