New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-12-19

various inspectors:
Effective strength prescnt...........11a.S74
Ineffective strength present. ...... 3.Zl9
lumber carried on rolls not present. j,i2i
Number present who have marks
ter. secured before the call 800. 19,2o2
Number present who have fired and
1 class before the call '......~"..... 1902
before the call. ...'.,......Y.."... 56.s13
service ......-............'...... 2o,9si
and less than one years service. =. 2i.slo
iess than three years service 1870 1896
vice Observation-Disclosures. 1851
did not respond, ..." . 7.25s
Number of men enlisted under the call
with prior service. ................ 1S.f4O
Number Of men enlisted under the call
without prior service. ............- 5000
Number serving as organized militia
who have not taken the oath re-
quired by the act Of June 3. 1916 2I.sSi
under the act Of June 3, 1916 49, .IO7. 7os
Enlisted men transferred to organiza-
receipt Of call INSTRUMENTATION. 1895
on muster in. ,.'...-",.........".. 1921
under eighteen years Of age'......,. 67s
Number who have not attended a pre-
vious encampment OF period Of field
service Observation-Disclosures. 7l,5O5
Number at date Of inspection VINO
were present sick in hospital 1876
Number at date Of inspection who
were present sick in quarters 800. 1887
Aggregate number Of different enlisted
men present ...................... sos
THE great loss in effective strength
at a critical time, amounting TO about
90 per cent of the original strength, al
though compensated for in part by the
transfer and enlistment of men credit
ed with militia service, seems enough
TO condemn the system created by the
old militia law as an effective means
of making the organized militia a de-
pendable force for war service.
"Ihe operation of the Hay law of
June 8, 1916, with the somewhat more
rigid exactions and requirements which,
under its terms, the Federal govern
ment may now impose, might be ex-
pected in time to produce some i'm
provement. But the very exactions and
requirements which are necessary for
the attainment OF efficiency will I'M
doubtedly tend to produce a distaste
for service in the National Guard
among the classes of young men who
have hitherto joined it for social rea-
sons, or for the sake of the recreation
which the service afforded them. AL
ready evidence Of pronounced reluc-
lance to serve Is seen in the report
that 81, 1884 members of the organized
militia now in Federal service have
failed to take the oath called for under
the new defence act, these men being
held to service under the Dick law.
at is, in my judgment, cause for
very sober consideration on the part
of every citizen when the fact is fully
understood that the units of the Ma
tional Guard in the Federal service
and the regular army have not been re-
cruited cruited to war strength in the
crisis which We have just passed
through. The number of units in both
! organizations are relatively small, and
the total number of men needed TO re-
cruited 10 war strength in the
not great-almost negligible, in fact
when considered in relation to the
total male population in the United
States of military age; that is, men
between eighteen and forty-iiye years
People Should Realize Failure
"ln view Of the above facts, it would
be. indeed. an exceedingly shallow
thinker who would attach much blame
TO the personnel of either the regular
army or the organized militia for fail
, ure TO recruit TO war strength. The
failure should make the whole people
realize that the volunteer system does
not and probably will not give us either
the men we need for training in peace
or for service in war.
at is believed that the necessity for
training and discipline can be readily
understood by any non-miltary mar
in view Of what is occurring now in
Europe when it is understood TO what
destructive agencies the soldiers are
subjected in modern battle. even those
soldiers who have the protection OF
carefully constructed trenches.
4 "If France and Germany, with the ex
cellent material these countries have
for soldiers and with the splendid corp.
of officers and non-commissioned OF
iicers they possess for the training anc
discipline Of this material, cannot de
velop troops needed for the varied
operations OF war in less than two
years with the colors in time Of peace