The Washington herald., 1916-02-25

The Pittsburgh military training camp
movement has grown to such proportions
that it may develop an army. An asso-
citation OF Plattsburgh students with
headquarters at New York has been or
ganized and is now asking for some leg
islation from Congress.
The matter has been presented to the
Senate Committee on Military Affairs.
and a provision will be Incorporated in
the army bill TO give the student and
business men training camps an official
status. Before te Senate committee re-
ports out its bill the matter will be gone
over in detail and a report as to how to
handle the camps may be requested from
the War Department. The House COM
mittee has already decided to make an
appropriation for the camps and the Sen
ate committee was about to concur in
this. but at the suggestion OF some of the
more influential Plattsburgh students a
plan has been taken under consideration
by which Federal militia or a national
reserve could be organized at the next
summer camp.
The Plattsbufgh students through their
officials. have informed the members of
the Senate committee that they do not
care to enlist either in the regular army
or the National Guard. They would be
willing to give a month or even two
months to military training if they could
be furnished with the necessary regular
army instructors and be trained with the
organizations of the regular army 1t is
stated that the Plattsburgh students
would be willing to enlist in a Federal
force with the condition that they be
trained for a period of a month each
year.
This would appe~s to be a revival of
Mr.. Garrison's Continental army pro-
posal Nevertheless the Pittsburgh stu
dents are bringing pressure to bear upon
Congress for such legislation.
II the Plattsburh students would take
only months field training a year
they would secure more than the Ma
tional Guard under the present legislation
and regulations of the State troops. The
National Guard does ont average more
than a weeks cncampment and the max
mum armory drills amount TO from
forty to seventy hours year Reduced
to days the total training of the Ma
tional Guard would not be much more
than two or three weeks. The advantage
| claimed by the :'lattsburgh students is
that their training period is longer and
it is all in the field.
The adjutant general of the army re-
ceived a telegram from Fort Sam Hous-
ton that the transport fitzpatrick with
the first squadron Twelfth Cavalry, sailed
from Galveston yesterday.
Capt w. H. Parker. L. S. NJ. g.. has
been relieved from duty in Haiti and
has been ordered home for treatment at
the naval hospital. The nature of his
Illness is not known at the department.
The naval personnel board is working
on some amendments which will permit
officers to specialize in ordnance engl-
neerng, construction and law without in
terfering with their advancement in the
line. This is one of the most difficult
problems that the board has been called
upon to solve. 1t is recognized that the
personnel bill as now formulated does not
offer any Inducements to officers who
specialize. In fact, it is claimed that il
discriminates against them.
Although these provisions have not
been worked out 1t Is understood that the
board is inclined to adort the detail sys-
tenn for army ordnance officers for the
navy The provisions suggested by Rear
Admiral Robert s. Griffin, chief of the
Bureau of Steam Engineering, for engi-
neer officers, may be modified and ex-
tended to cover other classes of officers
who choose to specialize. 1t is recognized
that they all work under similar condi-
| tons TO the engineer officers.
Capt. W. r. Oracle. Seventeenth Infan-
try. reported at the War Department
yesterday. "