The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1917-04-24

The President has warned Congress
that the cNertion OF all our power and
the employment OF all our resources
| in. order to bring the German Govern.
! ment TO terms and thus end the war,
/ and our cooperation with the Entente
; Powers vii involve certain things,
among them the immediate addition to
, the armed forces Of the. United States,
; already provided for by law in case OF
war, at least 100000 Men } E.
and also the authorization OF subse'
Quent additional incremcntS of equal
force so son as they may be needed
and can be handled in training.
Important and far-reaching as were
these statements, they are not 10 be
classed in Importance with the out
|. spoken expression Of his opinion that
these half Il million ought 10 be
chosen upon the principle Of universal
liability 10 service, BY that announce
mrnt. President Wilson has definitely
! arrayed himself in the ranks Of those
who have struggled. against untold op-
position, TO secure the adoption of that
vital military principle which every
European Power has long ago diScoy'
cred was the only method yet devised
which would stand the stress OF a
serious war and enable a:uation to put
forth its full strength in dire emer.
gency. Great Britain persisted in adj
herring TO the voluntary System, only
TO fnd herself forCed-cXactly us We
have done in every great crisis in our
own hiStOry-to discard it as absolute,
undemocraiic and utterly worthless in
Il lifc-and-dcath struggle involving ma
tional existence.
President Wilson announced that he
would submit 10 Congress certain
measures necessary in the war upon
which we are about to embark. and he
voiced a hope that they would receive
proper consideration BY Congress "as
having been framed after'vcry careful
thought by the branch of the Govern
mcnt upon which The responsibility OF
conducting the war apd safeguarding
the nation will most directly fall"
This announcement should afford
juStifiable ground. for the belief that
he will shortly advocate the adoption
:Of the plan recently prepared defense
based upon universal liability to mill
Itary training and service" This
scheme. as stated in my last article
in these columns. is by all odds the
most comprehensive and the soundcSt
that has thus far emcnated from tn"
experts of the General Staff who ara
charged by law with the duty Of for
mulalinG plans for the national de-
Tense and for the mobilization Of tha
military forces in time Of war; More
over, it will remedy many of the de-
feels of The National Defense Act, ap-
proved June =, 1916, which have also
been the subject Of a previous article
in these columns. This the Chamber
lain bill for the military and naval
training Of the citizens of the United
States, excellent rs it is in many re-
spccts. will not do.
As has already been stated In on ct
my previous articles. under The Ma
tional Defense Act the President can
increase the Regular Army 10 1892
officers and 2SI.S46 enlisted men Of
whom 226.6i9 will he fighting troops.
This increase he is empowered u
make in time of threatened or actuar
war ana without further action on the
part Of Congress. As a matter Of fact,
the President could have ordered this
increase in the Regular Army at any
time during the past few months. Th.a
increase will doubtless be necessary IN
order to supply a nucleus for training
the first increment Of 100000 men, as
well as other inCrcmentS. 10 rails"
upon the principle OF universal liAnil-
itr to service" For an army Of 3.n0n.-
600 the General Staff estimates that
fully "a, 400 officers will be necessary.
1t is therefore evident that steps must
be taken TO obtain nearly $4,000 oftl-
GERS. The Officers Reserve Corps
provided for by The National Defense
Act will contribute probably several
thousands, but nowhere nearly enough
to meet requirements. We shall thus
find ourselves in a situation almost
identical with that of England at the
outbreak Of the present European war,
and it will be obvious that eXtraortli-
mary measures must be taken immedi-
atcly and that these officers will be
compelled 10 undergo months of hard
study and training before they will be
fit 10 lead troops in actual warfare.
As have pointed out in these
columns and elsewhere, it will be very
difficult to obtain the necessary re-
cruits to bring the regular army up
TO full wal strength by means Of vol
untary enlistment. To accomplish