The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1917-11-08

as preparing a bill to change the draft
ages from 18 to 40. The writer can
state with positiveness that MI Kahn
has no such intention. The California
patriot favors changing the draft ages,
if it becomes necessary, so that men
between l8 and 81 are included, in.
stead of 81 to so, as at present In
other words, the age limits would be-
1910 80. s5
Senator Chamberlain, of Oregon,
chairman of the Senate Military At
fairs Committee, in an interview with
the writer this week. declared that
there is no intention on the part 8Of
Congress to change the draft ages
unless it becomes necessary, as It is
believed the present registration will
produce all the recruits that will be
needed. If the age limits are changed
Congress will favor including young
men from 18 to 81. The General
Staff favors changing the law to in
clude men between IS and 25. Prob
ably no action will be- taken at the
next session. Military experts be-
Iieve that the General Staff plan is
the best Everybody knows that the
War of the Rebellion was fought by
men mostly between 18 and rs, and
| thousands were younger than 18,
Men over 80 do not have the vigor
and recuperative power Of those
from 10 to rs, and for this reason
the younger men make the best sol
diers. Napoleon fought his victori-
GUS campaigns with youngsters from
16 to 20 in the ranks and some of
! his Marshals were under IS at the
| top of their careers. 1t Is hardly
! possible that Congress will increase
| the 30-year draft age limit, though
it may lower the 21-year limit to 10
At any rate it will not be necessary
for some time to change the present
age limits, though this may be- con-
I sidered at the next session.
New Organizations Necessary
Veterans of the War of the Rebel
lion will be much interested in the
new organization of our armies. Up
until the war with Germany began
the organization of the Regulars and
the National Guard was practically
the same as during the War of the
Rebellion. One hundred and twelve
men, in war time, made up a COM
pany. -Four companies made up a
battalion and three battalions consti-
tuted regiment of cavalry and ar
tillery, with 10 companies usually in
an infantry regiment. Three or
more regiments made brigade and
two or more brigades a division
Two or more divisions constituted an
army corps.
All this is now changed. Our ar
mics are being reorganized to cores
pond with the British and French
commands. A company of United
States Infantry now numbers ESQ
men. Commanding this are a cap
Etain;ss and four & Lieutenants. Fdur
companies, numbering 1000 men,
constitute battalion, commanded by
Ia major. Three Of these battalions
make up the regiment, commanded
| by colonel. A. regiment, therefore.
now numbers 5000 or more men,
and is the size of strong brigade of
the civil war, both Union and Con-
federate. Two regiments under the
new organization constitute brigade,
| that is brigade now numbers more
than 5000 men. Two or more bri-
gades make division, and any mum.
Der of divisions are put together to
form an army corps.
It is in the company organization
of ESQ men, however, that the most
revolutionary changes have been
made. In the War of the Rebellion
a company of infantry was infantry
and nothing else, as it was in the war
with Spain and the Philippine Insur.
rection.% Our new companies include
not only infantry that will fight with
rifle and bayonet, but also squads OF
machine gunners, grenade and bomb
throwers, liquid fire and gas men, a
) hospital unit, and trench gunners.
, The new company is almost a, little
army in itself, with it's bayonet fight.
/ ers, riflemcn, grenade throwers, hos
pital men and machine gunners. The
new company is planned as the fight
ing unit, rather than the battalion
and regiment of the old days. This
is the organization of the British and
French armies, and has been devel.
oped from actual experience on the
battlefield.
:, Continued on Page 81