Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-02-10

be of such grades and numbers as the
President may prescribe.
| 1T is apparent that the recruits at the
, rendezvous and depots are intended te
form a reserve battalion for each regi-
ment or equivalent thereof of regulars
ard volunteers only; for the act also pro-
vides that in order to maintain the land
militia organizations at their maximum
strength the recruit rendezvous and de-
pots in any state or territory may, at the
request of the governor thereof. enns'
and train recruits for land militia in the
service of the United States from such
state or territory All the officers re-
quired for such recruit rendezvous and
depots will be volunteers Of the proper
arm of the service
All volunteer officers are appointed
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 regular
assignment to duty and transfers as
the President may direct.
The second proviso of section OF
the volunteer law provides that no offl-
Ger above the grade of colonel shall be
appointed under the act. In the event
OF war Congress would probably be re-
queSted to repeal this provlso. other
wise, it would be necessary to invoke
the volunteer law of 1898 for the APP
pointment of general officers; and that
law provided for no grade above that
of major general
Selection of Officers.
The President may select the officers
from the following classes:
"(A)-The regular army. But not to
exceed one regular officer may at the
same time hold a volunteer commits
sion in any battalion or field artillery.
engineer or signal troops; and not to
exceed four in any regiment Of fnfan-
try cavalry or field artillery. nor any
twelve companies of coast artillery. in
Guiding their field and staff The war
interests of the government require
that advantage be taken OF this pro-
viso as far as practicable
"Bl-Those duly qualified and regis
tered pursuant to the sections OF the
militia law.
"tC)-The country at large.
"D)-The organized land militia of
the District of Columbia.
"E)-The organized militia OF the
several states and territories. upon rec
concentration of the governors there
Of taking them as far as practicable
according to population and from the
localities whence the troops are re-
cruited.
I'm order that the lives of those pa
triotic citizens who may volunteer for
service may be safeguarded and con-
served and not risked under persons
lacking in experience In the care OF
Department has decided and announced
that the appointment to volunteer COM
missions will be made from those class
es of our citizens who have had such
nd 70 fhnaR ClaSSel
the selections will be made in the fol-
lowing order:
"(A)-Persons who have had expert
ence as commissioned officers in the
regular army of the United States and
ex-ofTicers and volunteers of proved ex-
perience and efficiency.
"(B)-Non-comm officers of
in the regular army.
"(C)-Persons who have had expert
ence as officers in the militia.
"D)-Persons who have qualified &C
cording to law under prescribed exam
nations to test their fitness to command
and control men in the field.
"(E)-GraduateS of educational inSti-
tutions of military standing to which
regular army officers are detailed as
professors of military science under the
law.
"CF)-Should the necessary number of
volunteer officers required not be fur
lished from the above classes, the War
will give civilians lacking in
actual experience an opportunity to ap-
pear for examination to test their fitness
for commissions. before boards which the
War Department proposes to create In the
several states"
The War College next points out that
all officers of the line below the grade
Of brigadier general will be commission
ed as officers of a particular arm Of the
service and not as officers of any par
ticular regiment or organization. Staff
officers will be appointed by the Presi-
lent in such numbers and Of such ranks
as he may find necessary for the various
staff corps or departments" For the
recruiting service the President is au-
thoriZed to employ retired commissioned
and non-commissioned officers Of the
regular army as well as enlisted men of
the retired lists.
Training of Volunteers
Under the caption Training 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 at the
company rendezvous. without waiting
for complete mobilization. Under our
policy of relying principally
for national defense upon citizen SOL
diers, the larger part of our land forces
VIII not De 1ully trained on the out
break Of war. 1t is more than probable
that we shall have to employ some of
them with little or no training as soon
as they can be assembled in suitable
units.
THE amount and character of the
training will at first be directly pro-
portional to the time consumed, pro-
vided a rational scheme be followed.
How much time will be available it is
to predict. 1t is reasonable
to assume. however, that In the event
of war with an oversee enemy it will
establish at least a partial control of
the sea sufficient to open the way for
landing of expeditionary forces
I'VE may consider ourselves extreme