The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-08-29
1851 SUMTER s. g, WEDNESDAY, AUaUsT % le17
TRAIN YOUNG MEN.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR
UNIVERSAL MILITARY
TRAINING PROPOSES
THIS POLICY.
Would Have Men Between 10 and 2 :
Use CantOnments in Future.

use SdnIOnmc0tS In Euturc.
Washington, Aug. 26.-Military
training of the young men of the
country between the ages of nineteen
and twenty-One at the national army
cantOnments, as continuing and
permanent policy for the protection
of the republic, is advocated in a
statement made public today by
Lieut.. Gen. S. B. M. Young, retired,
who is president of the National AS
sociation for Universal Military Train
ing.
Gen. Young gives statistics show
ing that the civil war, producing the
greatest armies the world had ever
known up to that time, was fought
by men the majority of who m were
under twenty-one years of age, "ex-
actly that class which has been omit
ted in the otherwise very compre-
hensive provisions of the draft law"
Noting the fact that the draft law
makes no provision for the registra-
ton of men who reach the age of
twenty-one after it's enactment the
general continues:
After the first and second drafts
are made there will be approximate
ly $4,000 men available for purely
military service who will not have
been included in the first two drafts.
Since the first and second drafts will
total about 1,374,O00, and experience
shows that three men are required in
reserve for each man on the firing
line. the 626.0O0 left over from the
first registration will not be ade-
quate for even a reserve force for the
men actually on the firing line, but
will fall short Of the number which
experience has proved necessary by
some 3.496, 900"
To meet this situation, Gen. Young
proposes that the draft law be
amended SO as to require the regis
tration of all male persons in the
United States who are nineteen years
Of age and not more than thirty
one when amendment goes into ef-
feet, and who were not registered
previously under the draft act; with
the proviso that none Of those affect
ed by the law so amended shall be
called for active military service be-
fore reaching twenty-one.
There have been provided at an
outlay of approximately $1OO,OOO,-
000," Gen. Young argues, sixteen
environments with light, heat, water
and all necessary sanitary equipment
installed. Each of these canton
ments accommodate 10000 men, and
with a very small outlay can be made
into permanent training cantouments
suitable for use throughout the year.
1t will be observed that the sixteen
cantonments will completely provide
for the $4,000 men who would be
available for training for the mill
tory service each year.
| These men could be called into
the environments for training as rap
idly as the cantonments were evacu-
ated by the final increments of the
new national army. BY utilizing these
splendid camps as permanent train
ing quarters for our young men from
nineteen to twenty-one years of age
we would not only conserve our
young manhood. but would profit by
the immense equipment provided at
such an enormous initial outlay. 1t is
the rational. the obvious thing to do!
"Of course, the logic of the fore
going points with unerring accuracy
to universal military training as the
fundamental principle of perma-
| nent, continuing military policy. The
draft law is the first great stride to-
wards this goal, and the amendment
above suggested, when realized, will
form the second.
1.-THE potentiality of a nation is
feared by no prepared adversary. 1t
Is the actual power it can exert at
given moment that compels,
through fear, respect for it's sover-
eighty. The hour has struck when
our citizens must unflinchingly ac.
knowledge the burden Of RESPONSIBLE
ity which is theirs. A large share
or our regular army is now on for
eign soil; the National Guard and the
national Guard Reserves have been
drafted into the military service of
the United States under the provis-
ions that when they are discharged
from the service they are discharged