Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-12-19
NATIONAL GUARD
SYSTEM ABSOLUTE
FAILURE IN CRISIS
Mobilization for Border De-
scribed by General Wood
as a Tragedy.
UNIVERSAL TRAINING
URGED BY ARMY MEN
Country Now Declared to Be Ut
terly Defenseless Against
Well-Organized Foe.
L. S. NEEDS FORCE OF 900, 900
Would Have States Maintain Com
stabulary for Prcscrva-
ton Of Order.
L. S. NEEDS FORCE OF l,5oo, 900
Would Have States Maintain Con.
stabulary for Prcscrva-
tion OF Order.
TBy Associated 4 Press !

BY Associated Press
WASHINGTON, December iS-The
mobilization of tho National Guard for
border service was described as a mill
tary failure. emphasizing the urgent
necessity Of abandoning the volunteer
system as tho nations reliance for dc
tense. In statements to-day by Major
General Scott, chief of staff OF the
army. and Major General Leonard
Wood. commanding tho Eastern Dc
partmcnt. before tho Senate subcorn-
inittce considering the Chamberlain
universal military training bill
Both of the generals advocated uni
versal training. General Wood de-
clared that the country now was utterly
defenscless against "a well-orEanized
foe: that the mobilization was a
tragedy. and that II tho guardsmen
had met good troops they would
never have known what hit them"
General Scott told the committee that
lessons drawn from tho present war
pro.ed that in case OF war with :,
hrst-class power tho United States
would need Immediately :. trained
force Of l.5oo. 900 men. with another
100000 available within ninety DAYS.
Walter J.. Fisher. Of Chicago. former
Secretary OF the Interior. opposed uni
versai service, and suggested a regular
army of half "a million. He though, If
the pay OF privatcs were raised To sa1
month the service would be more at
trnctive 10 recruits.
ORGANIZATIONS GO TO BORDER
FILLED WITH GREEN MEN
General Wood. from whose depart
ment went $1,000 Of the gaardsmen
sent to the border. said of the men
enrolled when the call came. an aver
age of 30 per cent OF each compa ny
had 10 he dropped for physical defects.
and the organizations went to the bor-
der filled mp with green men.
Its been n tragedy" he said. hut
worth all the cost IL We only profit b..
il. /, was not the fault OF the officer
or men. but Of defective system. If
we had been compelled 10 meet good
troops down there. il would have been
a scene OF carnage The guarjsmcn
would never have known what hi,
them
What should We do with the Ma
.iona! Guard. gcneral?" Senator Brady
asked
1T should be replaced as rapidly as
possible with men trained under a
nniversal-service system" General
Wood replied when the system has
been we'll started would drop IN.
National Guard entirely from any
scheme of national defense althouvF
we want every officer and man Of them
In the new plan. But II must he q
straightout Federal force"
Yet the States must maintain the
National Guard or some other force
Senator Brady suggested.
II believe constabulrry should he
maintained by each state. not a mill :
tary force" explained the general.
'.Thc police are trained to control, while
troops trained to Kill. There is
less resentment when men are handled
by police than when troops are called
out The people feel it Is the police :
mans business"
General Wood outlined his plan.
which In effect would he n combination
Of the Chamberlain bill itself an adap-
t!on of the Australian system, and the
French general STAFF plan. His scheme
would give all physically fl men six
. months training during their nine
teenth year, passing them into the or
Ranized reserve. TO be available for
first line duty only between the ages
of twenty-one and twenty-five. after
which they would be passed into the
unoreaniZcd reserve until twenty-nine.
The result would he a constant force
OF trained men with full equipment Of
moro than 100000. he said. in addi-
tion to standing army Of 250.000,
composed OF men VINO were professional
soldiers by personal inclination. Il do
not think any nation would attack us"
he remarked.
THINKS NATION WOULD
APPROVE UNIVERSAL TRAINING:
Senator Thomas asked what the gen
erel thought of the feeling Of the ma :
tion toward universal service proposals.
1T believe the people viii indorse II
to-day" General Wood answered.
Labor is with you when you make it
absolutely certain that ALI men. rich
or poor, will shar. alike in military
service"
General Scott will go into details as
'.4 the mobilization when he resumes
fris testimony tomorrow.
General Scott. disclosing much of the
Army War College material hitherto
regarded as confidential. shows that
the army general staff now believes
that instead of 100000 available men.
which Il considered sufficient as a start
to defend the country against inva-
sion. the country should have 100000
fully trained men at the beginning Of
war, with a like number ready to
follow in ninety days. The change is
based on the development of the Brit
ish army. the organization OF great
Canadian forces. and the British al
lance with Japan.
with such a force available. the army
general staff, General Scott said. con-
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