White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1916-01-28
.GARR|SON'S ARMY
PLAN WELL LIKED
GENERALS .coTT AND BLISS ARE
STRONG FOR HIS IDEA OF !
PREPAREDNESS.
NATIONAL SECURITY LEAGUE

NHIlUNHL OECUKII1 LEHdUE
EIihu Root Says 1t Is Idle. Talk to Say
Militia Can Take Place of Regular
Army-AII Agree That We Must
Have Larger Army and Navy.
Washington. - Unqualified support
was given Secretary Garrison's army
plan before the senate military COM
mittee by Major Generals Scott and
Bliss, respectively chief and assistant
chief of staff of the army.
General Scott declared the plan
in building up an army of defense in
a war emergency. He advocated i'm
mediate organization of a reserve
corps of officers, actually commits
stoned and assigned to the posts they
would take in time of war.
General Scott also urged that a quar-
termaster's reserve corps of enlisted
men be formed to include mechanics
of all kinds, telegraphers, radio opera
tors, motor vehicle drivers and ex-
perts, teamsters, railway men and the
like. A representative of the Ameri-
can legion, he said,, had told him re-
Gently that $4,000 men of this sort had
been listed by. the organization who
were willing to enlist in such a corps.
Both generals expressed the opinion
that universal military service was
the only ideal democratic" method of
building an army, but thought the
country would not tolerate the pro-
posal now. General Bliss said it was
only talked of by army officers as an
academic question on this account.
Endorsed by Republicans.
Two former secretaries of war, both
under republican administrations, in
dorsed Secretary Garrison's army pro-
gram.
Elihu Root, in letter read before
the National Security league at it's
final session, asserted that there are
good things in Secretary Garrison
plan. The doing of them would be
progress in the right direction. Don't
lose these good things even though
you find that you can't at this time
get something more in the same di-
.rection."
| Henry L. Stimson, in a speech advo-
eating compulsory universal military
service as the real solution of ma
tional defense, Endorsed Secretary Gar
rison's plan as Sound and intelli-
gent {" and advocated it's adoption, eff
congress is not ready yet to sanction
universal training" as the sound in
itial step.
s':t;4It is=idle ,'.swrote Mr.. Root;34to talk
developing the national guard itself
into an adequate army for national
.defense, AND any such attempt would
inevitably result in the failure of the
whole movement and the waste of all
the energy and effort devoted to it.
The national guard is for state pur-
fposes. Let us take the first steps on
any sort of a program that is directed
toward a trained national citizen SOL
diery, under the instruction and adj
ministration and formative leadership
of adequate, though small regular ar
my"
Senator Chamberlain Speaks.
Universal military service was pro-
claimed as the only real solution of
the American national defense prob
lem by Senator Chamberlain, chair
man of the senate military committee,
in a speech before the National Secu-
rity league. Recognizing that the peo-
pie were not ready for such a step,
however, the senator said Secretary
Garrison's continental army plan
might be utilized to provide the force
which the country must have to guar
antee it's security as a world power,
protect, the Panama canal and be ready
to repel possible aggression from
either Europe or Japan.
National Security League Plan.
An Endorsement of Secretary Garri-
sons efforts toward enlargement of
the nations military forces was voted
at the National Security league with
the reservations that the regular mo-
bile army should be even greater than
that contemplated in the war depart
ment plan, and that adequate national
defense would depend ultimately up
on universal obligatory military train
ing and service"
England Shuts Out Trade.
London.-After brief debate the