The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-11-18
SENATE TO DRAFT
NEW ARMY BILL
Committee Will Be Assisted
By Colonel Palmer of
General Staff
He is STRONG FOR
UNIVERSAL TRAINING
Thinks an Army of 100000 Sufficient
for Peace Times - Six Months
Training Should Be Given Every
Young Man In This Country.

WASHINGTON, Nov ls.-The senate
committee on military affairs has decided
to draft its own army bill discarding the
bills already before it. In drafting the
by Colonel John McA Palmer, of the gen
eral staff, who is known to be opposed to
many provisions of the Baker-AIarch bill
Colonel Palmer was before the commit
tee about four weeks ago In his testi
mony he stated that the war plans diyi-
sion was not consulted in regard to the
policy underlying the Baker-March bill;
went ON to say OF recommendations made
at various times by the war plans diyi-
sion:
L think ! can say that these recon-
mendations invariably embodied these
ideas; Universal training, an organized
citizen army, and the minimum regular es-
adjustment, necessary to carry that pol
lev into effect. These recommendations,
| in my opinion, are Numerically opposed
| to the policy outlined in the war depart
ment blll'
Colonel Palmer thought regular army
| of 2S0,000 men ample for the country dur
ing peseeg this being about half the
strength called for bg the war department
BILL During his testimony he said:
THE main feature of the military es
Enlistment of the United States, IN my
| opinion, should be trained citizen army
organized territorially IN divisions, army
corps, and field armies, IN such man
i ner as to permit immediate mobilization IL
| fha event of emergency
In the initial organization of this tore'
the charter members should be those vet
Grams of the great war who volunteer T.
enter a unit of the citizen army Whose
territorial ALLEGATION includes their place
of residence. This force should be perpet
uated by universal military training.
4 Every young man should undergo mil
itary training for not less than 81,
months. and utter such training he shoul'
enter an organization of the citizen arm!
and should be member thereof for nv
years. after which he should pass 10 tn
unorganized reserve unless after due qual
ification he elects further service in tn
citizen army as an officer or non-eommis
stoned officer.
"All original vacancies in commissions
and non-commissioned officer grades in tn
1
BY the appointment of veterans OF tn
war III civil life and by detail from tn
regular army.
THE six months training course shout
be conducted by thoroughly frame
CORPS of officers and non-commissloned o
ficers detailed or elected from the regula
army and supplemented from citizen on
GERS and non-eommissioned officers VIII
voluntarily accept active service for sue
temporary but sufficient periods as may b
necessary.
with Is training centers located wit
proper reference to the distribution {
military population, each such trainin
center should generate and maintain tn
personnel for an army corps of two c
three divisions. The commander of tn
army corps, provided with a proper stat
should command the army corps an
should be responsible for all the militar
activities within his corps area In tn
initial organization of each army corps il
component units should be given the desi,
nation of previously existing local militar
units having historic records in forme
wars, IN so far as this can be done will
out defeating the primary objects of co
rect military organizations and the loca
ization of homogeneous tactical units
Whether such force as that is pract
cable depends. on whether citizen soldier
can be trained to perform the function
demanded of them under that system
do not think there is any question abor
The feasibility of doing that il the citize
army is actually organized