The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1917-07-03
ORIGINAL PLANS FOR TRAINING
OF NEW NATIONAL ARMY
NAVE BEEN CHANGED.
CLIMATE IS RULING FACTOR
prafted Men VIII Be In Tents or Bar
racks Early In September and Loca-
tions Must Be selected Where
Weather 10 Fair,
BY EDWARD D.. CLARK.

National army that soon Is to be or
gnnixed for service will go into tent
or into barracks early in September.
The original plans for the encnmp-
ments have been changed. II is en-
tirely probable that later they may
undergo another change. Climate even
tually may prove to be the ruler In
the case.
There has been demand from near
ly every section Of the country that
one of the training camps be given to
the petitioning community. Selfish
ness to a large extent is ut the bot
tom Of some Of the requests. Benefit
to local trade conditions has been the
first consideration In many instances.
The good OF the service has been the
second consideration II It has been
given any thought at all on the part
Of the petitioners.
Men cannot drill out Of doors under
bad weather conditions. Some persons
seem to think that troops are harden
ed by sublccting them to conditions
which would send the ordinary civil
ian on sick report inside OF an hour.
Troops are softcncd, not hardened, by
adverse climatic conditions. In the
northern section of the country the
weather Is bad In November. outdoor
drills cease at West Point on the Inst
day of October or ut the latest on
November -. Why? Simply because
outdoor drilling Is impossible.
Can't Drill In Snow or Hard Rains.
The recruits for the new National
army Of course cannot be dollhouse re-
crul;s, nor on the other hand can they
he icehouse recruits. They must be
trained up TO the point OF resistance
TO climatic Influences, but fitting the
body to resistance in one thing while
the drilling of the men so that they
can take part In proper maneuvers Is
another thing.
Infantry drill largely IL impossible
when the snow Is on the ground, when
heavy rain Is falling, on when the mud
Is deep. The new army must have
! Quarters in places less likely than 9th
crs to experience sudden changes in
weather conditions. The North IL an
ideal trimming place for recruits from
| April / to November !. The South Is
fairly good training place from No
vember ] to April 1, although II is not
always ideal by any manner of means.
1t Is believed today that the army
officials finally will determine that the
new army should be trained largely in
the South, where in September the
weather IL Indictment enough at times
| TO give the men certain amount Of
resisting power without being severe
enough to put an entire camp Of green
troops on the sick list.
II II were possible for the new army
| TO enter the training camps late In
July or early In August the chances
are that there would be a quick dis
| tribution Of the camps between the
north and the south countries. As
tings are likely to be II probably will
he declared the part Of wisdom TO send
n great many Of the young men south
of the Mason and Dixon line. There
| may be tented camps next spring all
over the North for a second half mil
lion men.
Why the Training Was Delayed.
There seems to be ground for the
| belief that the National Guardsmen
will be given certain amount of in
tensive training, In this country, then
to be sent sooner than was expected to
the camps back Of the fighting lines
In France. Considerable numbers of
regulars also will go, and as the regu-
lars and the Guardsmen today are
! composed In part of absolutely green
| troops II will be necessary to use all
the instructing material at hand to fit
these men for the service. II Is this
| probably which induced the army
chiefs TO put Off the training OF the
new National army until September.
| Washington waited with little anx.
iety but with deep interest the reports
| from the registration districts. As
soon as they were received they were
studied closely and there was particu.
lar interest in the number OF answers
rO1nkyed TO Question ~ which con
tself with the desire OF the re.
i@B 90 claim exemption at the out.
MT long before Registration day m
order was issued that answers to CUES,
ton No. IL are not obligatory. This
meant simply that no young man was
compelled to say whether or not he
claimed exemption, but could postpone
his decision In the matter to q later
day when the question Of exemptions
specifically was to be considered.
This fact made 1t impossible fol
Washington TO determine definitely
Just how many men for some reason
or other would claim exemption. II
is expected that about 80 per cent OF
the men who are exempted on no 9th
er ground will be exempted on physi
cal grounds, but II Is believed that
there will be enough young Americans
physically sound and with no depen
dents to fill the ranks Of as many
armies as 1t will be necessary to send
TO Europe TO aid in the fight for demo
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