Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-12-21
NATIONAL GUARD
MILITARY FAILURE
Border Mobilization Last Sum.
mer a Tragedy, Says Maj
Gen. Leonard Wood.
30 PER CENT. UNFIT.
Opposing Good Troops "1hey Would
Never Have known Whnt Hh Them"
-tni,crssI service Urged.

Washington, Dec. 18th" mu0tizaji ION
Of the national guard for border service
was described as a military failure en-
rhaSang the urgent necessity of aban-
donnE the volunteer system as the ma
lions reliance for defense, in statements
to-day by Aiajor-General Hugh l.. scott
chief of staff of the army and Major
General Leonard Wood, commanding the
eastern department before the Senate
subcommittee considering the Chamber
lain universal military training bill
COUNTRY UTTERLY DEFENSELESS.
Both advocated universal training. Gem
eral Wood declared that the country now
was utterly defensclcss against u well
organized foe; that the mobilization was
"a TRAGEDY, and that If the suardsmen had
met good troops they would tevel. have
known what hit them" General Scott
told the COMMITTEES that lessons drawn
from the prcsert var proved that in case
of war with . first class power The United
states would need Immediately a troncd
frocc OF 1,j0o"0 men with another so sd
available within ninety day.
On the other side Of the question the
committee head. Walter T.. Fisher Of Chi
cago, former secretary of the interior,
who opposed universal scry ice though he
suggested n regular army OF half q
million. lie thought if the pay Of pri-
Yates were raised to $50 month the serv-
ice would be more attractive to recruits.
30 PER CENT. UNFIT
General Wood, from whose department
went $500 of the puardSmen sent To- the
BORDER, said of the men enrolled when
the call came, an average of 20 pcr cent.
Of each company had 20 bc dropped tor
physical defects and the organizations
went to the border filled up with green
men.
ITS been a TRAGEDY, hc said. "Uut
worth ali it cost if we can profit ny il. II
was not the fault of the officers or men,
but OF defective system. If We had been
compelled to meet good troops dow,
here, it would have been . scene Of car
mage. The guardsm"n would never have
! known what hi; them
WOULD DISCARD GUARD
What should we do with tho Nationa,
Guard. general" Senator Brady asked.
N should be replaced as rapidly as
possibl" with men trained under univer-
sal service system" General wood re
piled. When the system has been wei
started. | would drop the National GuarC
entirely from any scheme OF national de
tcnsc although we want every officer an'
man Of them in the new plan. But /
must be a straight out federal force"
yet the States must maintain the Ma
tonal Guard or some other force" Sena
tor Brady suggested.
Il believe constabulary should b
maintained by each State, not a miltar,
force" explained the general. The polio
are trained to control while troops ar
trained to kill, There is less resentmen
when men are handled by police thar
when troops are called out. The peopi
! feel it ia the policeman's business"
| UNIVERSAL SERVICE PLAN.
General Wood outlined his Swn plal
{ for universal service which in effect woul
be combination of the Chamberlain bill
itself, an adaptation Of the Australian
system and the French general staff plan
His scheme would provide that all ply
sically fit men be given six months
training during their 10Th year. pasSin
then into the organized reserve. to b
available fCr first line duty only be
tween the ages OF q and % after whicl
they would be passed into the morgan
lied reserve until 90. The result woul
he a constant force of trained men wit
full equipment of more than 1000, co,
he said. in addition to a standing arm
of 30 Oo0, composed of men who wer
professional soldiers by personal inciina
ton.
II do not think any nation would attac
us" he remarked.
Senator Thomas asked what the genera
thought of the feeling od the nation to
ward universal service proposals,
ALI. MEN SHOULD SERVE.
Il believe the people will endorse
to-day" General Wood answered. "Laho
is with YOU when you make it absolutel
certain that all men, rich or poor, vi
share alike in military service.
| Senator Thomas directed attention I
| MIR Fishers suggestion that raising u
pay of The regular RAINY to s." mont
! would bring in all the men necessary, III
general said this merely would eNt"n
the evils of an ALREADY hopeless militar
system that had failed the nation /
every war
And in this present mobllila tion, h
added. we cannot get the men for eithe
the regulars or National Guard.