Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-02-05
MAxE snIFT PREPAREDNESS.

C1Iy; btOg., hdIfSds lily, "Ao'
MAKE SHIFT PREPAREDNESS.
President Wilson's tour of the mid
west has confirmed the oft repeated
statement that national preparedness
Ia not a political issue before the
people. The great majority OF the
neopIe ia heartily in accord with the
aim and object of preparedness. They
want this country to be safe l case
OF attack; they love their republic
enough to fight for it II need be ana
they wish to make sure OF victory IN
case the struggle does come. Amerl-
cans are not pacifists. President VIII
SON describes them aptly as being
more willing to give up their lives Tor
a principle than for a dollar
While the nation Is pretty u OF a
INIT In demanding better means for ma
tional defense, there is a great diver
renee OF views as to the proper meas
ure Of preparedness. If there is any
issue in the matter, it is on this very
phase: How are we to better our de-
lenses?
President Wilson, or his advisers,
has developed the so-called cont
mental army plan. AS being advocated
by the president on his tour and other
wise. this includes the up-building OF
the navy by the addition of many hrst
class ships and the necessary aux1l-
Iaries such as submarines, hydro
aeroulanes and the acquisition of a
merchant marine capable OF being
used in an auxiliary capacity to the
battle fleets. For the land defenses,
the presidents plan is to increase the
coast and harbor defenses, fill up the
ranks Of the present standing army
and organize a continental army OF
volunteers. It is proposed to have
half a million men in this continental
army and to so train and drill them
that they will be ready for service on
the instant.
At first glance the presidents plan
seems q good one but closer scrutiny
has caused many to condemn 1t as q
half way, futile measure. To begin
with. it puts a heavy tax on patriotism
because the man who enlists must
needs give up two months or more OF
his time for three years. His recon-
pense in a monetary way is practically
negligible. Right OF the reel then. the
continental army membership will be
limited to two classes: those who can
afford q two month vacation without
nay and without fear of the loss OF
their Jobs, and those who have little
responsibility and nothing to lose by
stepping out OF the business, Industrial
DR. professional world for a sixth part
of the year. Men who are struggling
to make their mark in the world will
not be attracted by the continental
army no matter how patriotic they
may be.
About the only plea on which the
presidents proposed army can rely for
enlistments is warm patriotism. Moth
ing but passionate loyalty to the coun-
try and fear that actual danger besets,
viii cause men to enlist in it with the
knowledge of the handicap member
ship entails. Yet the president is conf
dent that five hundred thousand
men can be enrolled in three years and
that something Nike a hundred thous-
and new "contfnentals" will come for.
ward every year to give two months I
their time to drilling.
Men familiar with the records of the
national guards and other voluntary
organisations do not believe that Will
sons continental army could be raised,
or at least maintained. Probably I'M
der the spur Of the present arousal OF
public interest in preparedness, half a
million men would come forward dur
Ing the coming three years. But there
q no basis whatever to believe that
ennstments would keep up at that
rate. In fact every record and the
statements of nearly every expert in
dictate the contrary would be true and
that the continental army would soon
be as weak or weaker in numbers than
the present national guards.
Now II this army of defense is to be
made permanent, why not adopt a plan
that will assure it's permanency? On
the other hand II it Is to be raised just
to meet present ~exigencies, why not
be frank and enlist an army on the
ground that there is work for 1t to
perform? As far as the country knows,
this latter premise is untrue and the
real reason for the preparedness prop
uganda is the formation Of an adequate
defense body for all time to come.
Those In closest touch with the need
for an army and best qualified to judge
the efficacy of the various plans for
T6lBluR SUCH Ill dTuy, die dAAooS
unanimous in asserting that the only
plan which will meet the need is a
straight out and out military service
law. In other words, a law to make
military training a part of the educa-
ton OF the youth of the land.
Why not take all the able bodied
boys of the nation between the ages OF
sixteen and twenty and organize them
into military units. Have companies
drill at least twice a week throughout
the veal and have an annual encamp-
ment lasting a fortnight. The bring
ing together Of large bodies of these
cadets would give the various supply
departments of the army the expert
ence they would need in provisioning,
equipping and moving great armies as
would be necessary in actual warfare.
Applied locally, let's see how such a
plan would work. Ottumwa would
probably have q regiment under such
xSNS%ANl