Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-02-10
In Letter to Patriotism Con.
greSs Advocates System
of Training


Need OF military preparedness in
america, both az to the training OF
her men and the development of her
resources, the two going side by side,
was pointed out By Theodore Roose-
velt in letter read to the Congress
IL Constructive Patriotism which met
. in Washington late last month.
Il advocate military preparedness, |"
eaid the colonel, mot for the sake OF
war, but for the sake OF safeguarding
this nation against war so long as that
is possible, and Of guaranteeing its
honor and safety II war should new
ertheless come
We need first and foremost a
thoroughly efficient and large navy;
a navy kept under professional guild
ance; navy trained at every point
with the sole purpose OF making II the
most formidable possible instrument
OF war the moment that war comes;
navy, the misnanagement of which
shall be treated as a capital offense
against the nation. In the next place,
we need small but highly efficient
regular army, OF say q quarter million
men; an army where provision is
made Tor q certain proportion Of the
promotions to be by merit, instead of
merely seniority; an army Of short
ent; and an army which, like the
nnvy. shall be under the guidance Of
a general staff. Moreover, every
year there should be at one time field
maneuyers Of from $4,000 to 100000
men; so that the army commander,
the corps commanders, the division,
brigade and regimental commanders,
who would have 70 face a foe at the
outbreak of war, would all have had
experience In performing their duties
under actual field conditions, in time
Of peace"
Roosevelt declares his admiration
rner to the border, though he points
ont that the system under which they
worked was e. grave injustice to them.
IL was worse than ineffective, he says.
Bnt the country needs to remember
that the guard is 10 be depended upon
for the second line OF defense.
But this Is not enough. Every citi-
zen, II he IL lit to be citizen, should
TT himself 70 serve his country II
need be. Persons unfit physically can
vet DO their part Of high service at
home.
BE Il remembered that such ma
tlonal armed force as that for which |
ask, while very powerful for defense
would be almost useless Cor agrees
sion. wish to see our navy second |
only to that Of Great Britain. because
Great Britain Is the only power whose
naval needs are greater than ours. l
DO not ask that our army become sec
ond, or anywhere near second, to Ger
rpany's. because Germany's military
needs are far greater than ours; but |
merely that relatively TO our size eur
army be made 70 correspond to that OF |
Switzerland.
This would mean that for the last !
two or three years OF school our boys |
would have sune military training,
substantially such as Is given in the
Swiss and Australian schools: and i
that at about the age Of 10 they would |
spend six months IN actual service |
In the field Cor at sea with the fleet |
with the colors, and would thereafter |
for three or four years be required to |
spend q couple OF weeks each year
With the colors Each year. among
those who had served well for the !
SIX months, q number could be chcs-
en- 70 be trained as officers. These
would then be given BY the nation for
two years. free. q training somewhati
Ike that at West Point, although not |
as rigid or as thorough. They would
be required to pay for this training by, !
for a certain number Of months dur
ing each Of the few following years,
doing their part In drilling the re-
crllits Of that year. II would probab-
~ be necessary TO pay the recruits |
a small minimum wage so as to be |
sire hat the poorest family would not
suffer hardship because of the abb
sence of the young man for six /
months No man would be allowed to /
purchase exemption. The sons Of the
richest men in the land would have to