The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-01-18
MILITIA DEFENCE SYSTEM
A SHAM, GARRISON AYERS;
URGES CONTINENTAL ARMY

what they set to do, and in addition
will have personally benefited by the
result.
Forty eight Separate Armies
you cannot possibly have any mil
itary system worthy of the name
based upon forty-eight separate
armies. operating under forty-eight
iiseparate authorities, raised, differed
and trained by forty-eight separat tie
Commanders in Chief, who are by la w
absolutely in control of every author
ity that is necessary in military af-
fairs An the suggestion that this
hybrid, incoherent, utterly INSULT
cient system is turned into an effec-
tive and trustworthy system by mere
| ly providing that the men who go into
the State organizations must agree
| to serve the national Government in
time of war is deceptive in the ex-
| treme. So long as the Constitution of
the United States remains as written
| no act of Congress can legally give
| the national Government any right
to raise, recruit, officer, train or con-
troll these State troops.
"AI1 proposals to build military
system for the United States upon the
| basis of State troops are proposals to
| create or to continue a situation that
/ is illusory and not real, that is a
sham and not substantial, that is a
mockery and not honest
THAI, indeed is the very situation
/ which the people have, demanded
| shall be remedied- That is our pres
bent system, or, more properly speak
| ing, lack of system Even if it were
possible under the Constitution to do
| what is suggested. the folly of it,
when considered by sensible men
would cause its immediate rejection
| What is suggested is that the National
= Government, which has the most
4lmp1e power to raise, maintain, and
control national forces for national
License, shall not only refrain from
| exercising this power but>shaI parcel
| it out of the forty-eight States of the
Union and then by back some
| measure of authority and jurisdic-
ton.
Other Questions Subsidiary
what number of men there shall
be in the regular army, what system
shall be devised for the national
| forces that are not to be consta ntly
trained in the regular army, and how
! long and by what method, such forces
! shall be trained, what shall be the
| distribution of troops among the va
rious arms of the service. how off
| GERS shall be procured and trained,
| and all other details, are subsidiary
questions that must be left for future
| consideration until the one great vital
question is settled as-to whether we
a sham one.
Let the supporters of a real mill
tary system agree that whatever
forces the nation is to7rely upon shall
be raised, maintained and controlled
by the Federal Government, and
these subsidiary questions will all be
worked out in due time and be prop
er1y settled. ~
1T is dff1cult for one who. is abb
sorbed with the imperative import
ance of this question to understand
what is happening. The newspa-
pers of the country. either voicing
public opinion or leading it, have
news articles and in their editorials
that a wise, sensible military policy
is essential for the nation. This
public opinion was formulated by the
President, the spokesman of the
people, and a policy embracing the es-
sentia1 principles of national defense
was by him proposed to Congress. SO
FAR as the essential principles embod--
led in that policy are concerned, they
are those agreed upon by every mill
tary authority in this country who
has ever given the subject intelligent
consideration. The newspapers have
Insisted that the people should take
their direction in this matter from
those who education along military
lines made them the best advisers in
this respect. All views that we have
from military sources agree that, out
side of an addition to whatever reg
ular standing army we have. we must
have organized Federal troops, Nsa1 b.
Ject to instant call. The name to be
given to such supplementary troops
is. of course, absolutely immateriaL
Whatever they are called, they must
be Federal troops, sometimes called
Federal volunteers. In the particu-
- rrT ~
they are called Continental Army,
Every Person is Affected
This question does not peculiarly
affect the rich. and does not peculiar
ly affect the poor. War is no respec-
ter of persons. 1t Is like the outbu -sts
OF nature, which impartiaIly sweep
over and destroy whatever lies in its
pathway. If the people wish wise
precautions to be properly taken in
their behalf, they must insist and in
sist, and continue to insist. Their
opponents are fully alive to the OPP
portunfty which the Indifference of
the supporters furnish them, and I'M
Jess there Is an awakening to the
situation, and vigorous. earnest, con
tinued effort, the supporters of real
national defense dc not deserve, and
will not obtain that which is neces-
sary.
Remember that this question is
not settled in the public press. 1t is
not settled in public meetings 1t is
not settled by what one citizen says
to the other in social converse, It is i
settled in the halls of Congress, and ,
by those to whom the people have
contided the power to settle it, Very
largely the settlement rests with the |
committees that intt1a1ly deal with |
the subject If the opponents of real |
national defense find that the sup |
porters of real national defense con-
tinue divided, unvecal and wasting
their strength in conflict with each |
other they will avail themselves of |
the opportunity thus presented them, |
and will crystalline OongFessi ona1 ac-
ton along the lines of least resistance
of seif-iHterest and of the continu- I