Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-03-13
PORK AND PREPAREDNESS

PORK AND PREPAREDNESS
To the Editor OF Evenino Ledger
| Sir-As a constant reader of the EVENING
LEDGER, very sorry TO see the stand
taken in your editorial columns OF March
In reference to preparedness. You quote
the Bench and Bar in its knocking ed
torlal against the National Guard, and add
some abuse OF your own, without word
or suggestion of any better plan Of han.
ding the defense problem.
Surely you do not advocate the impos-
sible scheme of continental army. or do
you propose universal service? Your read.
ers, I believe, would like to hear an edi.
torial on this subject
If you have no suggestion, don't knock
Any scheme for preparedness will involve
the expenditure of money. 1t is dsappoint-
Ing that the EVENING LEDGER should have
been heard in this silly cry Of ''pork"
CHARLES ELCOCK.
TNHE EVENING LEDGER favors a national
l. army under the direct command and con-
troll of the National Government at all
times, both in peace and in war IF we are
to be prepared for emergencies, this is funda-
mental How that army is to be obtained is
matter of detail which can be worked out
easily after II is agreed that national army
is what we need.
The organized State militia is not ma.
uonal force and cannot be made such without
amendment to the Constitution. Those
who are advocating "federalizng the National
Guard" know this, and they admit It in pri-
vate conversation, IL not in public discussion.
A distinguished army officer confessed it in
the presence of a company of newspaper men
in this city not long ago. 1t Is not possible
for Congress to secure the organization of
force of militia, as that word is commonly
understood, in any State without the consent
of hn q
one State recently disbanded the National
Guard rather than have Federal officers med.
ding with It. State troops are State troops
under the command of State officers. The
President, IL is true, call them into the
national service in time of war, as Glen
dover said he could "call spirits from the
vasty deep" When Hotspur Jeered, "Why,
l. or can any man, but will they
come when you do call them?" he was direct
ing attention to an impotence more OBJ
vious than that of the President. Everything
depends on the willingness of the States to
respond and nothing the power of the
President to compel obedience.
The EVENING LEDGER called the congress
sional plan for enlarging the organized militia
of the States pork barrel preparedness be.
cause other form of words adequately
describes it, The objection to it is not that
[
but that it involves the expenditure Of
money primarily for the profit of the poll
tlcians and secondary for the creation of a
larger reserve force. It is Objectionable,
further, for the reason that the reserve force
which it creates will be trained and dis
ciplined by forty-eight different authorities and
will come under national command and direc-
ton only in the event of war. 1t will then have
to be trained over again. even If it responds
to the summons of the President. But, at
best, a lot of red tape will have to be un-
wound before the State forces can be trans
ferred to national command in an emergency.
AS to universal service, if the nation has
to choose between universal military training
in time of peace and compulsory service of
reluctant and unframed citizens in time of
war; we should most emphatically prefer
universal service in time Of peace. The call
for volunteers in wartime has never been
filed. Lincoln had to resort to the draft, and
in the Spanish War the number who volun-
teered fell far short of the number called for.
If the war had lasted longer and IL more men
had been needed we should once more have
seen that the volunteer system is fatally de-
fectve.
What the nation needs is a new birth of
patriotism in order that citizens may under
stand and appreciate the obligations of their
citizenship. There are men who say that the
right TO vote and the obligation OF military
service should be inseparabe; that If n man
is not willing to train himself to take up arms
to defend the nation he should have no share
in its government. AS a general proposition
this is sound, but it can never be applied in
the United States. Some way must be found,
however. TO impress upon the men of military
age and upon their employers the duty of
assisting in the formation of large reserve
force of trained men. The regular army is
the proper first line of defense second
line composed of trained reserves ready for
instant service on the call of the President
will find us ready for quick action when any
action is needed. Then the State troops would
very well form a third line of defense, which
could have ample time for preparation after
the first alarm. And the fourth reserve body
would be the great mass Of unframed citizens
who would be called upon to volunteer after
the other reserves had taken the field. In
the event OF failure TO volunteer they would
be drafted. These are mere suggestions, The
duty of framing a plan rests on Congress.
1t is imperative that 1t take the advice OF
military men and not OF politicians and that
its purpose be real preparedness and not