Evening star., 1916-01-09
Must Have New Army System.


Must Have New Army System.
Before we can have an adequate de-
fense We must reform the army itself
We must have a new system. The Eu-
ropean system is the result of hum
dred years experience. 1t has stood
the test of time and OF this war. Hard
ly an Englishman who has been in bat
he but. is for universal service. He
has learned from his warfare the error
OF a system which sends a man who is
Gown on his luck" to the recruiting
sergeant standing in a public square
Or to climb the stairs in side street
under the placard, Men wanted for the
tnitad states Army
II times are good, we get few re-
cruits. When we have prosperity to
defend our army is short of men. Our
as it is represented by preparedness.
tiuctuate with the itinerant labor mar
ket Bad times means that more men
enlist to fight for the flag as last re-
sort. In Europe. the flow Of recruits
is the same year in and year out. The
system is definite and dependable.
Idea Of Universal Service.
There is a deep moral idea back of
universal service which every Euro
pean realizes, but no American and few
Englishmen realized until this war.
What your country demands Of you is
your life. One mans life is worth just
As much to him as another's: whether
he is day laborer or millionaire, 1t
is the only capital he has to give. In
uaive versal service, you have everybody
of all classes, shoulder to shoulder The
result in Europe has been practically
10 desertions. while the percentage of
assertions in our regular army Is CO.
Iossal.
first class power single : handed on
~1apJ. In the revolution France helped
us. In 1872 the British were fighting
France at the same time as u.s. Yet
our raw levies were whipped in prac- ps
ficaily every engagement in 1872.
At Lundys lane We had regulars. at
New Orleans trained frontiersmen and
sharpshooters. A superior number OF
unframed troops retreated before IN
ferior numbers of British. who took
and burned Washington. The school
books do not tell 1t that way, but IT is
the truth. We need not be ashamed OF
the truth. considering. the skill Of our
armies north and south once they were
prepared in the civil war. where they
fought with unsurpassed heroism and
efficiency. If in. the north we had had
500, 900 trained troops at the start OF
the civil war; we would have ended 1t
in six months:s il the southern states
had had 100000 against the unprepared
north they would have taken Washing
ton Philadelphia and New York. l
think that no professional officer will
dispute this Soldering being the ousi-
ness of soldiers. they ought to Know
what they are talking about.
Everything But Soldiers and Guns.
In Europe they run their army plants
to fun capacity. They economize. Their
armies are businesslike institutions. A
trained German soldier costs Germany
$500 a year. or. counting the reserves.
so year. In France II is a little higher.
kDur soldiers cost us $1,000 a year apiece.
~ We have pointed the finger Of scorn at
the British laboring classes who held up
the British government for higher
wages, while our whole army system is
based on that idea We are paying
$3.50. ZOO. 900 a year for pensions for vol
unteers of the civil war, the cost TO later
genera atoms of unreadiness. Add that to
$3.50 100000 a year tor 1o5. 900 soldiers
against Germany's 3.500.000 for $780,
100000. AS long as we make patriotism
matter OF dollars We shall not have
an adequate army. and We shall pay so
eNtravagantly for each soldier that we
can never hope TO afrokd to have one.
Our army has been the plaything OF
politics. II has been enforced burden
istration absolutely honest, the amount
spent for the return received is enough to
raise the price OF sugar to so cents a
pound, Il applied TO the sugar business.
and OF -four TO $50 barrel. IL applied to
the flour business Az one army officer
said; I'VE have everything in our army
except soldiers and guns" Our magnifi-
cent plants are the homes of handfuls of
mon. They are like a knitting factory,
which ought 10 have Thousand looms.
/ running with 8. dozen. Meanwhile, the
I United States pays the rent and upkeep.
4 Material and Property Wasted.
Take. for example. Governors Island.
across from New York. where you almost
have TO hunt TO find soldier The value
/ Of IL as a piece OF real estate may be
sudged By that OF the enormous sky
scra pers just across the &Jver from IL on
lower Broadway. A French or German
brigade. IL not division. could be main
tained at Governors Island Waste of
material and OF property is the result OF
our system OF garr.ssning this and other
posts.
The army officers are not to blame
They are simply discouraged. Nobody y
Is to blame except the American peo-
pie. They get what Congress ar
ranges for them. and they make Con-
gress. And Congress is not so wicked
ly TO blame as we might think. Con-
gress is human II has been careless
II mas not concentrated patriotically
on the problem.
Perhaps IL we apply the present pub
lie emotion for preparedness as in the
past, every congressional district ma y
have its own army post. At present
they are distributed all over the coun-
try The middle west. the Pacific coast
the southwest and the east have their
share. The idea has not been that the
army should be an efficient institu
Won. but that IT stood for a certain ex-
Hditure of money that should be
fairiy distributed among the constitu
encies. 1t Is less practical army than
a system of largess for communities.
Army Posts Located Tactically.
In Europe the army posts are distrib.
uted according to tactical plans for
quick concentration in case of war
Hence the prompt concentration in
a914. Germany had 100000 men or