New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-26
The New Army

created. It will be an improvlsed army
composed of homogeneous elements.
Pending the enactment and enforce
ment of CONSUMPTION law-whlch is
now national necessity-there are
three things which the government is
reported as ready to do in the way OF al
interim preparation. In the first place II
will try to recruit the regular establish
ment I'D to war strength, making imme-
diately effective the increases which the
Hay law directed to be made IN five an
nual instruments. In the second place, 1t
will mobilize the state militia and order
the state organizations to recruit at once
nm TO their legal limit of about 100000
men. In the third place, it may call for
Federal volunteers, to be organized indie
pendently of the state militia. To issue
such a call would, in our opinion, be
mistake in policy, since it would delay and
impede the application of the sounder and
more democratic principle Of universal
service.
A call for volunteers would make fur
Their recruiting for the regular army eX-
sremely difficult. Most volunteers would
prefer to 60 into the new formations, as
our past experience has shown. 1t might
become impossible to increase the strength
Of the permanent establishment to more
than 10000 men. The state militia,
however, can easily be put and kept on
war basis, since the Hay law allows con-
scription to be employed in order to I'LL
their ranks. From these two sources
about 100000 troops could be obtained.
call for volunteers, if the government re-
sorts to it as temporary expedient, could
be counted on to bring in 100000 or $780,
600 more.
We are likely to have soon an army
at least on paper-of one million men.
This army will grow in numbers while
the war lasts. 1t nray or may not reach
maximum of five millions. Yet it seems
certainty now that for many years to
come the army of the United States will
not fall again in strength below one
million.
The old army system, which has been
for more than century milestone about
the country's neck, killing all hope of real
military organization or efficiency, may
therefore, be regarded as dead. We shall
rever see its like again. This is bless
ing. An army of professional soldiery is
a relic of the pasta survival from the
period before democratic ideals had
become strong enough to assert them
selves. The modern army is the nation in
arms. Service in it is an obligation of
citizenship. That service ought to be given
as a duty. Outside the officers corps,
which must be permanent, there should
be no professional soldiers.
We shall have to come to that system,
whether all of us like it or not, because
there is no other system under which an
army of 100000 or 100000 could be
raised now or an army of 100000 main
tanned in time of peace. There are not
l 100000 men in this country-or, perhaps,
in any other countrywide would be will
ing to make vocation of soldering under
the conditions which have prevailed so
long in our Anticipated regular army. The
national army should be school of IN
struction. The relations between the Off
GERS and the men should be such-allow-
ing for proper disciplne-as prevail be-
tween instructors and students. There
have been too many elements of social ar
rogance and social degradation in service
in the old army. That was an evil inheri'
lance. In the new army the caste idea
will be eliminated. There should be no
moro caste feeling in a nationalized, demo-
cratic army than there is in the govern
ment's civil service or in private employ
ment.
France has worked out this problem,
and with our fluid, elastic social structure
we can also easily work it out. Practi-
cally all the distaste here for universal
military service has arisen from the pub
lies contempt for the non-democratic
spirit which ruled under the obsolete mill
tary system from which we are about to
I free ourselves.
I In a country as large as ours an army
Of 1O0,000-only $4,000 up 20 l9OO-was
a toy army. II could not provide a mill
tary education for the people. II could
not even provide an education for it's own
officers. II could turn out good lieutenants
and good captains. But there the educa-
ton stopped. For how could officers of
the higher grades, who had rarely seen as
much az a brigade in training or In &C
ton, expect 10 learn anything Of the real
conditions Of modern warfare?
Our new army will be large enough TO
put an end 10 all the stagnation and
nake-belieyc Of the old system. II will
give the citizen a chance 10 learn the rudi-
rnents Of military service. II will also
give the officer chance 10 master the
details Of his art. II will unite and har-