Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-09-05
UNIVERSAL TRAINING
IS BACKED BY MARCH
Tells Military Affairs Committee This
Nation Must Never Return to
Unprcparcd State.
CITES FIGURES SHOWING COST
Asserts That Had American Nation
Possessed an Army I'm 1911 Thcro
Would Not Have Been World
War.
ny wINDI;n II. II,uuIs

~. IL
WASiilNGTON. September i-Thc
universal military training policy. pro
posed in the War Departments bill! for
! reorganization of the army on a neace
basis has the Endorsement of President
Wilson. General pcyton G. March
chief or stan This was indicated TO
the House Military Affairs Committee
i today.
The President also approves of the
Pther salient features Of the War De-
partincnts army program. which pro-
Tiues for standing force of 576 900
officers and men. according to General
March's Information. The general
said:
The military authorities and the
war department have favored univer-
Sal military training for many years.
but this Is the lrst time AN admins
tration has come forward In approval
OF the plan. Secretary OF War Baker
has Endorsed it, and. because of the
secretary's position. II is "A fair assump-
ton that the President approves it. al
tHough cannot quote the President"
Must Not BE t'nprcpnrcd.
Pointing out the necessity Of avoid
ing return TO the state OF unpre-
paredness which existed in this coun-
IVY before the war. the chief OF STAFF
declared that il the United States had
spent in the development Of a military
es,abiishment In times OF peace the
ing the war. there probably would not
B have been world var In any event
he asserted, Germany would not have
| VI SE'u TINS touUlEy INTO IL. lie con
1 tinucd:
We were fortunate in having wall
created by the allies behind which We
could train our men we do not want
similar experience. when may not
have such a protecting wall. We wan,
TO be in position 10 meet every emcr
q Ecncy. There arc many men in the
army and in the country thoroughly
tSaincd now. and we want to have al
ways as large number OF trained
men"
A rb,;ra,,, 49,, ,,,..,., -. $1,000
authorities thought the whole war
would have been avertcd If the United
States had been prepared.
There Is a grave question whether
H there would have been "a world war
Y the general agreed. That il the be-
i'et or many "rmy officers and other
: authorities. Certainly Germany would
| have hesitated long before bringing the
|! United States into St"
3 Explains Existing Nrcc,sity.
T Explaining the existing necessity
) with the prevailing spirit Of unrest
! throughout the world. al nations must
! be on tho alert. Winston Churchill
has proposed AN army az 100000 men
4 for Great Britain. France has the CON
) script system. and can raise army
Iof any size at once. We suggest an
army Of $4,000"
\ force % this strength. tho com.
mittce was told. provides skeleton
I, for Il field army Of l.250.00o, which the
7 war has taught to lie an adequate size
f25o,000 men, General March asserted,
would be capable OF rcpclling an at
1 tempted invasion in a modern war
r..hd in case OF Concerted action by sew
crhi nations against the United States
J ;tSwogld provide hrst iine%ot defense.
stYonE to meet ali comcTs could i be or
I, Ean!zei and trained. operation o: the
Y universal military policy. he added,
? trained men TO quickly, expand the
III skeleton force into field army.
The outside estimate OF the cost %
!. 5000. 900. 900 a year, even i. everything
| had to- be supplied new" the chief OF.
STAFF continued. But We have uni.
and VIC estimate the irst years cost
II of.such an army would be about S6G3.-
100000. That is less than the interest
tIffn the slio00,oo0 900 cost 20 the coun-
try OF the army IN the past eighteen
III months"
! Representative Caldwell. Democrat.
4 American army o. 100000 men at the
81 end Of the Civil War was viewed as
II a menace 10 the peace OF the world
but now. with foreign countries ali
forming big military establishments il
u seems that II is necessary for the
{ iHnied states TO balance those estab-
3 lishments 10 guarantee peace for this
Tina, is the logic OF H." General
:, March replied.
4 Declaring tina, little difficulty was
III an army o.
4 100000. the chief o. stan stated that
cniistments now are coming in rapid
Nly. He added:
Ii During the recent war we have
learned the value OF holding out as in
l ducements vocational and educational
features in the service. Boys who
II know they will get an education at the
i same time they are being given mill
Hilary training will enlist for period
lof years Il will require $4,000 officers
~ and men in INC service TO train each
Nj year three classes Of youths aGGrega,-
e. ing 100000. each class to be given
III three months intensive training"