Evening star., 1916-01-02
objected to and at times prevented
such use.
Vested in Federal Government.

Vested in Federal Government.
They have even disbanded their
| troops to thwart the purpose of the
national government. This power to
govern, to appoint the officers and to
| train the troops is vested in the states
| and cannot be taken from them save
| by changing the Constitution. To
build on the present foundation would
| therefore be impossible: to await a
change by a constitutional amendment
would be folly.
1T is inconceivable that you could
get the. states to increase their present
forces of say 10000 to 100000 in any
event even if you determined to ac-
| cept that solution of the problem
| Many of the best officers of the Ma
tional Guard believe and state this.
| Many of the men and officers are in the
guard because they wish to equip them
selves for national service, If needed.
Full opportunity is to be accorded
| They may come separately or in or
ganizations into the continental army.
Those who remain in the guard may
| come in separately or in organizations
by volunteering in time of war. The
guard is therefore a federal asset and
recommended increasing the federal
assistance thereto very greatly. l have,
been absolutely fair to the National
anu nave invited tnelr active ana
useful cooperation to improve our
military system. The attempts made to
create bad feeling between the de-
partment and the guardsmen are based
upon misstatement of my position and
can only result in harm if not disaster
to what we all have directly at heart.
The best element of the guard who are
in it for disinterested service will be
with me and we will work together
for the best results.
Reserve of 400, 900 Men.
THE continental army, so called. is
the supplement or reserve of the regu-
lar army. 1t will consist of 100000
men that are organized, equipped, Off
cered and subject to instant call.
1T will be raised by annual incre-
ments of 133,00O-each man to serve
with the colors three years-so that
after the first three years it will al
ways have 100000 in it with the colors.
ut will be recruited territorially and
of the regular army. Its officers will
be procured from a variety of sources.
Those who have served with the regu-
lar army or the National Guard; those
who have taken courses at military
schools or colleges and attained suffi-
cient primary instruction to be devel-
oped by intensive work: those who go
in as privates and work through pre-
scribed courses at instruction estab-
lishments of the regular army; those
who are already in an officers reserve
corps and those who may qualify here
after to be placed therein. We purpose
standardizing the courses of instruc-
tion or training in the military courses
of the hundreds of institutions which
now have or will have such and by CO.
operation and supervision obtain each
year thousands of available young men
for this service. All that is needed is
efficient cooperation and the adoption
of the proper system to obtain the re-
Suits West Point itself will be in
creased to it's maximum capacity with
it's present plant and will then have
772 cadets.
West Point Not Necessary.
The question of it's further physical
extension is being considered. But the
highly specialized intensive military
training of West Point is not neces-
sary for all the officers and is not pres
ent in other countries and We should
not look forward to multiplying ma
tional academies of that type the coun-
try over. We would probably miss the
high quality Of the highly specialized
officer thereby would take vast
amounts of time to build and equip
the plant and then await graduates
from such institutions and would spend
I'VE have the means at hand and can
and will use them if given the op-
portunity. We must. of course. have
the extra officers necessary for this
work with these institutions.
'-As to the training of the men of
the continental army / think it fool
ish to attempt to specify now all that
must be undergone end learned before
many of these details can properly be
determined upon. / should hope and
q Gy fha
maximum limit of time for service
and then leave all the details to the
discretion of the President, allowing
him to fix the amount of time, etc. at
Different methods with different branches
of the service would be necessary-dif-
ferenr times at different seasons of the
year in different parts of the country
would be imperative. Indoor and out
door training could be combined un-
doubtedly at some places and at all
places where accommodations therefor
can be obtained. All such matters can
only be settled by wisely considering
the questions as they arise and in view
of the circumstances and conditions as
We find them
Compulsion Is the Alternative.
What il you don't get the men"
Then Congress must either deter
mine to leave the country without any
adequate military security or else pro-
vide for compulsion. Our people be-
lieve that they are sufficiently inter-
ested in their country and determined
to fulfill the obligations of citizenship
to come forward for the country's
service. If that belief is unfounded,
then methods must be devised to COM
pei what isn't otherwise obtainable."
How does your system differ from
the Swiss system or the Australian sys
tenn
First, it does not provide for COM
pulsory service. and second. it omits any
connection with the public schools The
national government has no constitu
tional power over the public schools,
and, to await an amendment, seems to
me to be futile in the last degree.
Otherwise. there is no practical diff
ference whatever between the system
proposed and those other named
Was this idea of federal volunteers
to which the name of continental army
has been given new"
NO. 1t is the solution proposed by
practically every one of intelligence
who has ever studied the subject. Way
back in Jeffersons time he proposed
il and even added the element of COM
pulsion. Gen. Emory Upton. the great
est military authority this country has
ever produced. was sent around the
world by Gen. Sherman and studied all
the army systems in existence and end
ed by recommending it. Practically all
the reforms in our military establish
ment since he wrote in 1881 are in ex-
act conformity with his recommended