The Washington herald., 1917-02-05

As Congress has never authorized
universal military training or any
other system approved by army ex-
perts of supplementing the little force
of regulars and National Guardsmen
at the disposal of the United States
the general staff here has bravely
gone ahead to make the best of a
bad situation.
Admitting openly their proven in
efficiency, the army officials must YET
make ready for a vast army of vol
unteers, as called for by the present
law.
According to the statutes in force
the President must first call forth the
National Guardsmen in time of crisis
Having done this, if he considers the
guardsmen insufficient, he may i'm
mediately call for any number of vol
unteers he chooses.
Plan of Training.
The War College division of the Gen.
eral Staff here has mapped out a COM
plete campaign for training these volun'
teers, aiming not to commit some OF the
many mistakes OF the war with Spain
but still realizing the inadequacy of the
system which George Washington and
every great American general since his
time have agreed is wrong in principle.
Besides the activities here in prepara'
ton for a possible mobilization, the head
quarters of the various departments into
which the country is divided are busy
today doing what they can with theil
small forces in the way OF preparation.
Already the War College has tentative
ly divided the country for mobilization
into nineteen infantry and six cavalry
divisional areas, explaining:
Geographic Divisions.
The units of each infantry and cav
airy division should, in order to facili-
tate mobilization and supervision ot
training, be located in contiguous terri
tory. This idea is carried out by dividing
the country into twenty-five divisional
areas. of which nineteen are assigned
for infantry divisions and six for cavalry
divisions.
The troops should be distributed ap-
proximately in proportion to population
The only political or geographical sub
divisions within the United States made
on the basis of population are the Con-
gressional districts. These districts car
| therefore be used as a convenient unit In
forming divisional areas There are Al
such districts in the United States, ar
| average between sixteen and seventeen
districts per area. In the following
grouping all areas are given sixteen OF
seventeen districts, except one each OF
fifteen, eighteen and nineteen.
Consider Qualifications.
The population within each diyisiona
area should be Of such a character as t
furnish suitable men for the differen
branches of the service. This is &C
complished by having within each area
urban sections, rural sections, colleges
NxTffh Tor
to the cavalry divisions sections where
horses can be obtained and the popula.
ton Is accustomed to their use"
No mention is made Of the mobiliza
ton Of artillery units, for the reason thai
the training, organization and equipment
OF that arm OF the service will, in event
of need, be one of the matters attended
to without regard to divisional areas.
The Infantry divisional areas as already
planned are:
First-All of Maine. New HAMPSHIRE
and Vermont and the Sixth, Seventh
Eighth. Ninth. Tenth. Eleventh. Twelfth
and Fourteenth Congressional districts OF
Massachusetts. Total, sixteen districts
Headquarters. Boston
Second-The First Second, Third
Fourth. Fifth, Thirteenth, Fifteenth and
Sixteenth Congressional Districts, OF
Massachusetts,; all of Rhode Island AND
NOhhcStiCuI. IOIal, sixteen districts
Headquarters. Providence.
Third-The First to Seventeenth Con.
gressional Districts, of New York. Tota,
seventeen districts. Headquarters, New
York City.
FOurth-The Eighteenth to Thirty
fourth Congressional Districts, of New
York. Total. seventeen districts. Head
quarters, Albany.
Fifth-The Thirty-flfth to Forty-third
districts of New York and the Tenth
Eleventh. Fourteenth, Fifteenth, Six
teenth, Twenty-frst. Twenty-sixth and
Twenty-eighth districts of Pennsylvania.
Toal, seventeen districts. Headquarters
Buffalo.
Sixth-The Sixth, Seventh Eighth
Ninth. Twelfth, Thirteenth, Seventeenth
Eighteenth, Nineteenth, Twentieth
Twenty-second, Twenty-third, Twenty.
seventh, Twenty-ninth, Thirtieth, Thirty
first and Thirty-second Districts. Head
quarters, Pittsburgh.
Seventh-The First to Fifth Districts of
Pennsylvania: all of New Jersey. Total
seventeen districts. Headquarters, Phil
adelphia.
Eighth-All of North Carolina and
South Carolina. Total, seventeen dis
tricts. Headquarters. Charleston.