Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-08-01

our available regular troops Qess, l
believe, than 100000 are there or IN
MEXICO, and as these have been deemed
insufficient the entire nationaI guard
Isunmoning practically all our movable
military forces in order TO prevent
bandit incursions.
UDpreparcdness InexcuSable
IN view OF the warnings of the last
three years, it is ineXcusable that we
should find ourselves in this plight.
or our faithful guardsmen, who with
a fine patriotism responded to this call
ana are bearing this burden, / have
nothlnS but praise. But l think ii
little short of absurd that we should
De compelled to call men from their
shops, their factories, their offices and
| thelr professions for such a purpose.
This, however is not all. The units
OF the national guard were at peace
strength, which was only about one
haIf the required strength. 1t was nee
| essary to bring in recruits, for the most
part raw and unframed. Only a small
percentage of the regiments recruited
up to war strength will have had even
years training IN the national guard,
! Whlch at the maximum means 100
| hours OF military drill, and, on the
| average, means much less.
rake the eastern department as an
I illustration. The states in this de-
partment contain about 70 per cent. of
the entire organized militia of the
country. l am informed by competent
authority that the quota of militia
from this department recently sum-
moned, with the units raised to war
strength as required would amount to
about 131, 900 men: that in response to
ms call there are now en- route to or
on the border about 81 900 men and in
camp in their respective states about
ZS,oOO men; and thus, after what has
already been accomplished, there still
$4,000 men.
Men fresh from their peaceful en-
p!oyments and physically unprepared
nave been hurried to the border for
actual service. They were without
proper equipment; without necessary
supplies; suitable conditions of trans
portatlon were not provided. Men with
dependent families were sent, and con
dltlons which should have been well
known We're discovered after the event.
Could All Have Been Forcseen
ana yet the eAlgency, comparatively
speaking, was not a very grave one.
1t involved nothing that could not
readily have been foreseen during the
last three years of disturbance, and re-
qulred only modest talent for organ
ization. That this administration while
pursuing its course in Mexico should
nave permitted such conditions to exist
In the demand for reasonable pre-
paredness the administration has fol-
lowed, not led. Those who demanded
more adequate forces were first de-
scribed as nervous and excited Only
about year and half ago we were
told that the question of preparedness
was not pressing one: that the coun-
| try had been misinformed
Later, under the pressure of other
leauershlp, this attitude was changed.
| The administration, 1t was said, had
| Learned something" and il made a
| belated demand for an increased army.
Even then the demand was not prose-
cuted consistently, and the pressure
eXerted on Congress with respect to
other administrative measures was
notably absent.
The President addressed Congress
but little over six months ago, present
ing the plans of the War Department.
and Congress was formally urged to
sanction these plans as the essential
hrst steps They contemplated an in
crease of the standing force of the
regular army from its then strength of
| 5,O23 officers and 102, ,9S5 enlisted men
to a strength of 7,136 officers and
j 4,IOI enlisted men, or 141,S43 all
| told. 1t was saio that these additions
were necessary to render the army
adequate for its present duties"
Further, 1t was proposed that the
army should be supplemented by a
force of 100000 disciplined citizens
raised in increments of 133, 900 a year,
through period of three years At
least so much by way of preparation
for defense seemed to the President
to be absolutely imperative now" He
said: I'VE cannot do less"
Army Defects Not Rectified
But within two months this program
was abandoned, and the able Secretary
of War, who had devoted himself per-
sistently to this important question,
felt so keenly the change in policy that
he resigned from the Cabinet Now,
the army organization bill provides for
an army on paper of 17S,000 men, but
in fact it provides for only los, 900
enlisted men for the line of the regular
army for the fiscal year ending June
30, 1917, and I am informed that for
the next fiscal year there will be an in
crease of only $4,000. The plan for
the supplemental Federal army COM
pletely under Federal control was
given up.
We. are told that the defects revealed
by the present mobilization are due to
the system" But it was precisely
such plain defects that under the con-
slant warnings of recent years, with
the whole world intent on military
concerns, should have been studied and
rectitied. The administration has failed
to discharge its responsibilities. Ap-
parently, 1t is now seeking to meet po-
litiCal eXigencies by its naval program.
But it has imposed upon the country
an incompetent naval administration.
We demand adequate national de-
| tense; adequate protection on both our
western and eastern coasts. We de-
mand thoroughness and efficiency in
both arms of the service. 1t seems to
be plain that our regular army is too
small. We are too great country to
require of our citizens who are engaged
in peaceful vocations the sort of mill
tary service to which they are now
called. AS we'll insist that our citizens
in this metropolis be summoned to put
out fires and police the streets.
Demands Up-to-Date Preparedness
We do not count it inconsistent with
cur liberties. or with our democratic
ideals, to have an adequate police
force.
With population of nearly
100. 100000, we need to be surer of
ourselves than to become alarmed at
the prospect of having a regular army
which can reasonably protect our bor-
der. and perform such other military
service as may be required. in the alb
sence of grave emergency.
believe, further, that there should
he not only n reasonable increase in
the regular army, but that the first
citizen reserve subject to call should
be enlisted as a Federal army and
trained under Federal authority.
The country demands that our mill
tary and naval programs shall be car