The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1916-01-04
The ADVERTISERS SEM-wEEKLY
Preparedness Suqqestions


OF the mtary-political situation, before it, SEN
ator Chamberlain's draft for senatorial consdera-
ton which is obviously devised to steal consider
able Republican thunder should congress- finally
favor generous increase of the regular army, and
the proposed bill Of Congressman Hay, which at
fords only the slightest recognition to'the country
wide demand for preparedness measures. III ! VI.
Besides these there is the report from the War
College Division Of the General Staff of the Army
which differs from the Chamberlain idea only in
that the General Staff bill includes the Continental
Army plan of Secretary Garrison in addition to an
adequate increase Of the regular forces and with
the Continental Army idea the Oregon senator
will have nothing to do. :....
Senator Chamberlain and Congressman Hay
are respectively the charmen of the military COM
mittee1 of the two houses of congress and are
expected to blaze the way towards any legislation
on the subject Their two bills, with their per-
sonal backing, insure thorough discussion OF the
subject of new military defensive organization,
and also the passage in each house of military.
bill of some kind Probably the bill passed by
the house, which is likely to precede any action
by the senate, will conform more closely to Sec
Rotary Garrison's recommendations than that Of
the senate ard the legislation eventually adopted
will be a compromise between the two and salts
factory to neither side ..g - 4ssa5si -.
Senator Chamberlain's seems the more simple
and practicable of the two bills already brought
forward. Its chief claim for consideration is that
it plans the main and instant reliance OF the
country, in case of war call, upon the regular
army and the regular army reserve that would be
created. The Chamberlain plan leaves out the
Continental Army idea altogether and increases
the regular army by thirty-two regiments of in
fantry, the reorganization Of the Porto Riean reg
iment of infantry, and the addition of four regi-H
ments of cavalry, fourteen of field artillery, one
hundred and thirty companies Of coast artillery,
seven-foot regiments and seven mounted battalons
of engineers In all, the Chamberlain plan would
raise the regular army to something over two
hundred thousand men, and with the reserve of
soldiers who had passed two years with the colors,
would in time constitute total available force,
at call, of five hundred thousand men, which is
regarded as an adequate first line of defense,
The Hay, plan, one feature of which is the Con-
tinentals, does. not answer any better than the
President did the question of how the citizen
armyis to be obtained by voluntary enlistment.
In fact, Secretary Garrison's annual report is
the only document thus far which boldly Crap
pies with the question; and it answers with these
words: IF the nation requires certain service
and offers the most favorable opportunity for the
citizens to furnish such service, and notwith-
standing that, it cannot secure such service, it
must then resort to some method of compelling
service" ta,.
To compel the service of one hundred and thir-
ty-three thousand young men year, without
money compensation, out of population of one
hundred million, for two months term of ser
vice would not be very formidable matter, nor
one that would infringe the peoples liberties in
the slightest. The mainland press, particularly
the influential Eastern papers inclined to face
the matter of universal CONSUMPTION boldly and
are answering the question with decided leaning
towards the solution proposed by Senator Cham
berlan. The Chicago Tribune says: "If we are !
going to resort to the Consumption at all, why Not
make it adjunct feeder to the regular army,
not new form of militia? Why not make this |
number of young men real soldiers in every re-
spect for period Of two years." The Tribune
then gives what it terms reasonable answer to
these questions. "We are in quest not merely |
Of regularly available defensive force, but Of
such an extension and distribution of military |
training as will render the whole male population |
more less familiar with military duty, and
available for call which may some day go forth
Tor rally to the national standard of the whole /
able-bodied manhood of the country. And we
must give the nations manhood the best training !
at disposal" .., sc Ich. ,I,,.,... ,I,
1t remains to be seen how these various PROPOSE
lions will be received in congress. 1t is evident
that public sentiment has greatly changed on the
mainland with regard to the dreaded shoulder
strap and gold lace" in the past fifteen months
An entirely new sentiment seems to have been
treated. Still the old solder-hatng class still
Exists in congress and it will be heard from. The
modern paci6st also exists there and
he will have his day of debate And curiousy,
he German and the pro-Gern,an sentiment is
ully represented in congress, 1t extraor-
iinary that American politicians who are depend
mt on the German vote can have the affrontery