Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-06-22

OF providing for a peace Army only.
What the Senate will recommend is
hardly open to speculation.
| Some few facts which have been
given out indicate that the War
! Department
War Departments will recon-
Policy for Strength. the United
States maintain an Army of some
| thing more than half a million men
and officers as a permanent military
organization. This appears to be
| based on the theory that the United
States may be called upon to take
part in policing the world. and that
it is wise in any event to prepare
| against any emergency which may
spring up to disturb peace on earth
1T assumes that as direct result of
| this war the nation has assumed
new Importance and is entitled to
more consideration from other civ
ilized nations: that it's military power
must be made to match its increased
authority and responsibility.
Gen. Peyton c. March. before the
Senate military committee. stated that
the department had prepared plan
Army. Speaking very generally. that
plan contemplates the disposition of
about 100000 men in the coast de-
lenses. along the border and in Pan
anna. and the evtra-continental pos
sessions The remainder of the forces.
! something more than 100000. it would
place in inland schools and training
stations to instruct force to be
raised by limited system of en-
! forced military training. The de-
| tails of that system of training Gen.
Marsh did not discuss.
His statement may. however. with
some advantage be considered in con-
i junction with thaht of Secretary Ba-
ker. The Secretary stated that in
his opinion Congress should make a
termed the morale of the Army. BY
which, he said. he meant the bene-
fetal results obtained from amuse-
| ment. physical sports, education in Yo-
cational and academic schools. The
Secretary repeated before the COM
article-that the Army should be
| made educationally attractive, and the
experience of the war showed that
1t could be made so attractive and
beneficial that young men would seek
the Army for the sake of the good
they would get from the training
there. He was referring to the
three-year course in the Regular
Army. In that article, as in his gen.
eral statement before the committee.
having 100000 men besides officers
for the Army. In that article Secre-
tary Baker. after pointing out some
of the obvious benefits Of military
training for the young. said that it
seemed quite possible to institute
course of training in the Army for
the young men of the country. His
idea was to let them come to the
training camps during the summer
months to take courses in vacation
times.
In this connection. Secretary Baker
strongly advocated the strengthe ming
of all the Army schools. in order that
both officers and enlisted men might
have every. opportunity of self-fm-
provement. This included the Army
bakers and cooks schools to special
schools. to be created for the study
of the sciences as applied to military
warfare and would include every
thing from balanced rations to chem
zeal gas warfare.
it is not unfair to draw an Inference
that the War Department will even
tually recommend a policy looking to
the maintenance of substantial
Army to be organized on basis that
will give the young men who volun-
tarily enlist in it training which
will be of benefit to them after they
leave the Army. In addition it may
supplement that force with body of
men to be trained to the use of arms
and to military discipline by short
courses of limited compulsory train
ing.
1t is worth while to add that wheR
the Secretary was making his state
ment Senator Chamberlain. the cham
pion of military training. while ex-
npoaainO hia dnnhtS that nf
half a million could be raised by vol
untary enlistment, favored a plan for
better training in the Army. He ar
gued further that compulsory means
men the benefit of the training the
Secretary was urging.
\
No misunderstanding of the value
and purposes of the infantry school
of arm 8
School of Arms should in
at Camp Bennings. the devel"
opment of that school somewhere in
at Camp Bennings. near Columbus.
Ca, for the purpose of an infantry
school contained originally nearly
| $780, 900 acres. 1t was taken at a time
when the armistice was not in sight
and when the training Of both Off :
GERS and men in the use of small arms
was of the most Importance to tn.
Army and the country. The War De-
partment. through its officers, had
| entered into contracts for the pur-
chase of large portions Of the land
and had instituted condemnation pro-
| ceedings for the remainder. 1t had
| begun the construction of permanent
buildings and the clearing of the
grounds; 1t had moved several thou
sand troops to take the first instruc-
l tho ri ON inc q z