Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1917-03-01

by the president, but the number and
grade of such officers shall not exceed
the number and grade of like officers
provided for like force of the regu.
lar army, and they will be subject to
such assignment to duty and trans.
fers ns the president may direct.
I'm order that the lives of those
patriotic citizens who may volunteer
for service may be safeguarded and
conserved and not risked under per.
sons lacking In experience in the care
OF soldiers in camp and in battle, the
war department mas u-tiGSS anu an.
nounced that the appointment to vol
untcer commissions will he nude
from those classes of our citizens who
have had such experience, and that
from those classes the selections will
be made in the following order:
W-PersOns who have had cXppgi-
ence as commissioned officers in the
regular army of the United States and
cX-Otlicers of volunteers of proved ex-
pcrlcnce and efficiency.
U)-Non-commissiOncd officers Of
experience in the regular army.
W)-Persons who have had expert
cnce as officers in the militia.
D)--PersOns who have qualified
according to law under prescribed eX-
aminati0ns to test their fitness to
command and control men In the field.
N)-Graduates of educational in
stitutions of military standing to
which regular army officers are de-
tailed as professors of military science
under the law.
F)-Should the necessary number
of volunteer officers required not be
furnished from the above classes, the
war department will give civilians
lacking in actual military experience
an opportunity to appear for examina-
tion to fest their fitness for commits
sions before boards which the war de-
partment proposes to create In the
several states.
Begin Training at Once.
Under the caption "Trainlng Of VOL
unteers" the war college pamphlet
reads:
"The training of volunteer troops
must begin without delay after their
induction into the service. No time
must be lost. 1t should begin Mt the
company rendezvous, without waiting
for complete mobilization. Under our
traditional policy Of relying princi-
pally for defense upon citizen SOL
diers, the larger part Of our land
forces will not be fully trained on the
outbreak of war. 1t is more than
probable that we shall have to employ
some of them with little or no train
ing as soon as they can be assembled
in suitable units.
"Ihc amount and character of the
training will at first be directly pro-
portiOnal to the time consumed, pro-
vidcd rational scheme be followed.
How much time will be available 1t
is impossible to predict. II Is reasOn-
able to assume, however that In the
event of II war with an Ovcrsea enemy
it will be the time required for our
enemy to establish ut least a partial
control of the sea sufficient to open
the way for landing Of eXpeditionary
forces.
ANY system of training however,
good in itself, will fail to bring the de-
sired results unless there are avail
able n sufficient number Of trained In.
struct0rS, officers and noncoai
stoned officers. The blind cannot lead
the bIind.'
Referring to the mobilization of the
volunteer armies, the war college
pcjnis out that all points of mohli2l-
tiOn have been selected, one In each
state Of the Union, and that these pre-
limlnary arrangements have been up
proved by both the federal and state
authorities. These plans provide for
the necessary buildings, for water sup
ply, and all other essential needs
which will arise.