The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-03-01
MILITARY TRAINING ,
ONE YEAR At LEAST
SHOULD BE GUIDED BY EXPERTS
WHO SAY ONE YEAR is
MINIMUM.

\ bill for universal compulsory
military training has been reported to
the senate from the committee on
military affairs, This measure father
ed by Senator Chamberlain, was draft
ed with the assistance of Major George
G. V. II. MoseleE formerly II member
of the general staff of the army, and
has been under consideration by the
committee for several weeks. The
bin provides that upon reaching the
age of 10 years all male citizens and
those who have taken out their first
naturalization papers, who have no
dependent relatives, shall put in six
months without pay, in military train
ing, SAYS the Engineering and Mining
journal,
The bill disagrees with the theory
of the army general staff as to the
amount of training necessary to make
a soldier fit to go into the firing line.
ior General Scott, the chief of the
staff. believes that one year of nten-
sive instruction is the safe minimum
for training.
Another bill for universal training,
carrying the Endorsement of virtually
the entire membership of the general
staff and based on a years training, is
almost ready for final submission to
the secretary of war and the presi-
dent. who are not yet committed to
the principle.
Folly Of Delay.
1t is not expected that either bill
will be acted upon at this session OF
congress. With the mistakes of Eng
of our eyes, and the agonies through
which she has been going for almost
three years as a consequence with
our foreign relations in the delicate
war for this country almost univer-
sally expected, it is difficult to COM
prehend the state Of mind of our ma
tional legislators in delaying on this
vital matter.
AS between the two bills. although
we have seen neither, we incline to
the belief in this. as in other matters,
that the bill approved by the board of
experts, in this case the general staff,
is the one which should have consid-
Grafton. We have at present a military
law (the Hay bilD on our statute
books which is the product of political
to- No ha
clusion of advice by military experts,
and we have seen it utterly fall down
during the past eight months when
the national guard has been concen
trated on the Mexican border. That
experience of eight months has of it
self shown that that period of time Is
not long enough to make a thorough
ly efficient soldier, and what is more
under anything like our present mill
tary establishment that length of time
Is hardly a beginning.
One year of a young mans life ut
the age of 10 or 20 is to him of the
least value of any year in his career
although youth, taking itself seriously
does not often think so. One years
intensive military training at this per-
iod Of career would fit any young
man much better to take up either
four years study in college or to
plunge into the hard school Of expert
ence for his education and livelihood.
He would have straighter shoulders.
harder muscles, a deeper chest and
more democratic feeling, and he would
have fewer cobwebs in his brain. One
year under canvas and under intensive
military training of regular army of
ficers would make a man Sof him il
there anything at all to begin with,
and would go long way toward max
ing him thoroughly first class SOL
der.
We should have universal military
training: the intensive period should
mot be less than one year; and it
should begin at once.