The Washington times., 1916-01-22
ROOT FAVORS.
GARRISONPLAN
FOR DEFENSE
Declares People Need to Have
True Spirit Of Patriotism
Awakened in Them.

Elihu Root. in a letter read before the
National Security Congress this morn
Ing called the preparedness plan Of Sec
retary Garrison. a step in the right d.
rection and stated that the American
people, in respect to preparedness, "need
10 have the true spirit OF American
patriotism awakened In them"
Frederic L. Itiidekoper, Of Washing
ton. charged that histories have CLOSED
over many of he "fHscos and failures
OF American military annals.
Gen. e. w. Nichols. superintendent
OF the Virginia Military Institute. Lex
ington, Va. recounted the past service
to the natiOn Of military scnools, and
said this showed what could be done
along lines Of pFeparedness.
Mr.. Root wrote:
1T Is idie to talk OF developing the
National Guard itself into en- adequate
army for national defense, and any at
failure Of the whole movement ana tSe
waste OF al the energy and ehort de-
voted to t."
State Troops For State Purposes.
The national guard Is primarily
State troops for State purposes" Mr..
Root believes, and he thinks they must
continue to be 30. He said the power
to raise them and to appoint their offi-
GERS rests with the separate States.
Under the enlightened policy OF the
militia act OF January q. Is0e," he said,
they, have been ntted to render most
useful service. primarily In coast de-
fense in corporation with the national
army in time of war. In time Of peace
they are rendering q most useful service
by training In the elements OF military
service q great number of young Ameri-
cans to whom the President may turn
pointed officers in the national army"
He characterized the idea that these
forty-eight different bodies of troops.
with officers appointed by forty-eight
different governors" could be the basis
Of develOping a mobile national army
The proposal TO create an adequate
national arm Of defense involves Z
good deal OF shock to many Amer
leans who do not fully appreciate the
our military forces" he continued.
MANY Of them are afraid Of militarism
they are incredulous as to the neces-
sity; they are dlSinclined TO incur the
biScusSinS Secretary GarriSOn'S plan,
4MaEe alllthe progress in the light d.
rscuop you can. as coon as You can.
There .ar6 goQq things I'm secretty Gar
sisS s ros.a pa R dSinE eng Sf d,rsS6n then would
Mr.. Root urged the same sort Of =
constructive program for the navy that
he advocated for the army.
MT. Huldekoper said authors of his
tories ana ealIecially school text books.
have painted in glowing coloFs Sue
cesses that have attended the nations
former wars, but said that almost
without eAcsrtion they have suppressed
with, studied care the disasters ,whlsI
blunders which have been Committed
90 frequently owing to tho total absence
Of q proper military policy"
Br9ddoek's defeat he termed "a bless
American colonists a contempt for the
European method ot fighting. aad shos sk
their belief in the iRyinciblnty Of Brit
ish tr0oEs,
better. because more llnscos and failures
happened during that war than during
almost any ether on record"
Possibility of Invasion.
Dwelling on me possibility Of Invas-
ion OF the United states he said:
when people talk Of the possibility
OF any nation invading the United
States let them remember that. on Au-
gust "a, 1913, the army defending Wash
ington was routed at BladensburE with
a loss Of only eight killed and eleven
wounded.
Americans point with pride to the
battle Of New Orleans" he said. but
there again historians have glossed
over the facts"
OF Secretary Garrison's military pro-
gram Mr.. Huidekoper said:
This schens8 resembles q bit II GFuy-
ere cheese. It contains some solid ma
terial. but 10 full OF holes. The con-
tinental army contemplated therein is
based upon an excellent idea but, in
my opinion, 10 unworkable. The organ
lied militia. as such, IL relegated to
one Of the last lines OF defense, where
1t properly belongs"
In citing mast services of military
schools. General Nichols said he would
confine himself to the two Oldest. Nor
wich University and the Virginia Mill
tary Institute. He added:
The services Of these institutions
have been 50 congpicuous that a brief
outline of their activities during the war
periods of our national history will be
suggestive Of what could be accom-
plished along lines of preparedness. es-
pecially from the viewpoint Of a reserve
coTps of officers. II q proper national
support were given them as we'll as the
numerous other institutions, State
fostered and privately supported. scat
tered throughout the country. The out
line as given will necessarily suggest
their value as a national asset"
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