The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-12-07
WOOD FOR DRILL
Tells Kansas City Universal
Training Needed.
Speaks Before Bar Association
of That City.

Kansas City, Dec. TN an address
delivered without passion or preju-
dice. with criticism for no one for the
mistakes made by this country be-
cause of it's unpreparedness for the
late war. but burning into the hearts
of his audience the necessity for uni
versal military training as the only
real safeguard for the nation in the
future. Maj. Gen. Leonard Wood, at
the Victory meeting of the Kansas
Muehlebach Friday night deeply i'm
pressed his hearers with the sound
ness of his doctrineyx
Beginning with tie Revolution and
reciting all of the wars in which
America has engaged, he told of the
lessons taught by each and the good
that resulted from them.
II simply desire to invite your at
tention to a few things which have
been done and discuss a few which
will come up later" said General
Wood after his introduction by Eli
son A. Neel, president of the bar as
and now. with the allies, our late
enemy will haggle much over the
: Proud of Our Boys.
"All of our men that got into the
fight gave a good account of them
selves. You of the Middle West
should feel proud of the 89th and the
35th divisions. While 1 saw little of
the 35th, do know something of the
Syth. There is no question about their
service. The last letter l had from
the chief of staff told me that the 89th
had taken 1000 boche prisoners and
Rsts practically none They were in
the Argonne forest after that, how
ever, so do not know what happened
there, but 1 know that they acquitted
themselves like the men they are.
More News Yet.
This is the end of the present war.
but L do not believe there are any SO
Utopian as to believe that this is
the last war. When we entered this
war we had to build from the ground.
You will recall, those of you who
came to Camp Funston, how you saw
the first contingents of the National
army in overalls and blouses, the in
fantry drilling with wooden guns,
many of which the M carved out
with their pocket knives; you saw the
artillery drilling with cannon made
from telegraph poles. Germany knew
of this and naturally underestimate
our strength. With this beginning,
however. you know what progress was
made-slow at the beginning, but how
it grew, and grew, and grew.
I'm telling of our achievements
across the water do not underestimate
the splendid valor of our men; give
them full credit, but do not say we
won the war; for we did not. We
came in late. very late, but we got
busy and made a showing after we
did get in.
IF We take the report Of Mr..
Hughes. recently published. and there
is no reason to doubt it, our airplanes
had not reached the front when the
armistice was signed. A few bombing
planes were there, the report says, but
none of the scout variety.
A Hard, Long Job.
big things like preparing for war
the Hun had struck US, unprepared,
we would have had plenty of willing
souls and strong bodies but without
arms or training. We had five thou
sand officers at the beginning of the
war. 300 of them line officers, the
rest on the staffs. This had to be in
creased to over two hundred thousand
officers and it had to be done almost
over night.
Men were put thru intensive train
ing and made officers in three months
1t should require six months to equip
an officer for duty. And officers had
to be picked from these new men to
train others. That is the condition in
which war found US, but should not
find us again. The condition is not
charged TO any party or TO any group
of men. 1t was simply a condition of
national habit of mind. And this was
due largely to the teaching in our
schools.
We won the war Of the Revolution
because France came to our aid with
division of trained men just in time
to turn the tide. And, thank God, we
have had a chance to pay the interest
on that debt"
Here the general went into history
of the Revolution and said the best
history of that war is found in the let
ters of Washington. He quoted from
those, the best way to have peace is
in a good army" and lin time Of peace
prepare for war"
You will observe" said the speak
err. Washington did not say against
war but for war;"