Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1915-current, 1917-02-08
PLANS ALL LAID FOR
100000 VOLUNTEERS

WASHINGTON. Feb. S.-As con-
gres has never authorized universal
military training or any other system
approved by army experts of supple
menting the little force of regulars
and national guardsmen at the dis
posal OF the United States, the general
staff here has brayely gone ahead to
make the best of bad situation.
Admitting openly their proven in
efficiency, the army officials must yet
make ready for n vast army of vol
unteers. as called for by the present
law.
According TO the statutes in force,
the president must first call forth the
national Guardsmen in time OF crisis.
Having done this. If he considers the
guardsmen insufficient, he may i'm
mediately call for any number of vol.
unteers he chooses.
The war college division OF the
general staff here has mapped out n
| complete campaign for training these
volunteers, aiming not to commit
some OF the many mistakes of the
war with Spain, but still realizing
the inadequacy of the system which
George Washington and every great
American general since his time have
agreed Is wrong in principle.
Besides the activities here in prep.
laf ffnr fnt. III ivnN fnFa
the headquarters OF the various de,
partments into which the country Is
devided are busy today doing what
! they can with their small forces In
the way OF preparation.
Already the war college has tenta
lively divided the country for mobili
zation into nineteen infantry and six
| cavalry divisional areas, explaining:
The units of each infantry and
! cavalry division should, in order 10
| facilitate mobinizatiOn and super
vision of training, be located in con.
| tiguous territory. This idea is car
ried out by dividing the country into
| twenty-five divisional areas, OF which
nineteen are assigned for infantry di
! visions and six for cavalry divisions
THE troops should be distributed
approximately in proportion 10 popu
| lation. The only political or geograph
| iCal subdivisions within the United
| States made on the basis of popula
| tion are the congressional districts
| These districts can therefore be useC
as a convenient unit in forming divi
! sional areas. There are Ala such dis
tricts in the United States, an average
Of between sixteen and seventeen dis
tricts per area. In the following group
ing all areas arr given sixteen oil
seventeen districts. except one each
of fifteen. eighteen and nineteen.
"The population within each divi
sional area should be OF such n char
acter as TO furnish suitable men fo
the different branches OF the service
This is accomplished by having withiT
each area urban sections, rural sec
tlons. colleges with technical courses
and by assigning to the cavalry divi
sions sections where horses can bt
obtained and the population is accus
toned to their use"
No mention is made of the mobiliza
tion of artillery units. for the rea
son that the training, organization ant
equipment OF that arm OF the servic
will, in event Of need. he one Of tn
matters attended to without regar
to divisional areas.
Nevada has been paced in TN
eighteenth divisional district with NeI
Mexico. Arizona, Utah, and twelve @
the sixteen subdivisions of Texas
San Antonio has been designated a
headquarters.
VII D