The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-12-09
MILITIA A FAILURE
Gen. Scott Says It Is Proved in Border
Service.

Service.
The volunteer military, system
again has proved itself a failure and
should be relegated to the past, de
clares MajGen Hugh l.. Scott, chief
of staff of the army in his annual re-
port just made public. Basing his
conclusions on the showing of the fed
eralized national guard, when mobi-
lized for border duty, and the fact
that strenuous recruiting campaigns
for both the regulars and guardsmen
have produced negligible results, Gen
Scott says:
In my judgment the country will
never be prepared for defense until
we do as other great nations do that
have large interests to guard. like
Germany. Japan and France, where
everybody is ready and does perform
military service in time OF peace as
he would pay every other tax, and is
willing to make sacrifices for the
protection he gets and the country
gets in return. There is no reason
why one woman's son should go out
and defend or be trained to defend
another woman and her son who re
fuses to take training or give sery-
ice. The only democratic method is
for every man in his youth TO become
trained in order that he may render
efficient service if called upon in
war"
Taking up the question of the Ma
tional guard in its federal status, Gen
Scott declares the training period OF
rs days in three years provided by
the new national defense act is wholly
inadequate In my judgment" he
says, 'it precludes this force from be-
ing made fit for war service until it
has received at least six months ad-
ditional training in time Of war"
The report repeats the opinion that
it takes year of intensive training
to make a soldier and adds that the
country and Congress appear to have
vital misconception of the facts in
this regard Unless the federalized
guard which Congress substituted for
the citizen volunteer army advocated
by the general staff can be given
greater training Gen Scott says, the
country faces a serious situation.
Gen Scott gives at length Stats
tics on the National guard moblliza-
ton available when his report was
written September 80. He shows that
in II states with 16,600 enrolled
guardsmen at the time OF the call
more than 10 per cent failed to re-
spond and 30 per cent of the remain
der could not pass required physical
tests, making the force 40 per cent
raw recruits when il went to the Dor
der Brought up to war strength. he
says. the force would have been IS
pr cent green men and useless for war
purposes for many months.
An aggregate force of 151 ,096 Off
GERS and men OF the guard were
mustered into the federal service un-
der the call and about 1l0,957 were or
the border month and "a half after
the call was issued. The general com.
mends highly the efficiency OF the
railroads in handling the mobilization.
Tuning to recruiting in the regu-
lar army. the report says that the |
service was 29.l30 short Of its anthor- |
lied strength on August 81, last Be |
tween March Is when Congress au-
thorized bringing the army up to war
strength by adding 10000 men and |
August 81 only S46S additional men |
were enrolled
Gen Scott urges a drastic censor
ship law to protect military secrets in
time OF war and submits with his ap
prevail the draft Of a proposed statute
lrawn by special beard of army and
navy officers 1t would authorize the
president 20 prohibit publication OF
acts, runners or speculations regard
ng military matters except when
,assed by censor. the penalty being
/ fine Of not more than $4,000 or
net TO exceed three !
ears or both where person or OIL
sr or agent OF corporation is in
'olved, OF fine OF $4,000 whore a
corporation is involved.