New-York tribune., 1919-05-01
General Staff Is Said To Be
Working on the Plan as
Substitute for a Large
Regular Establishment
Veterans Favor Scheme
Sentiment Of Returning Men
Is for a Citizen Force
With Adequate Training
Neto York Tribune

Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON, April 30.-Fearing
that Congress will approve neither an
adequate regular army nor universal
military training to supplement it, the
General Staff is working on substi-
tute scheme which will feature the
National Guard, according to reports in
army circles.
Every transport that comes from
France, it is said, brings several thou
sand living arguments against the reg
ular army. 1t is reported by persons
who have met many of the returning
soldiers that they are determined that
henceforth there shall be a small regu-
lar army in America and a large Ma
tional Guard, and there are evidences
that the country is being organized for
a big drive against the General Staff's
plan for an army of 100000 men. The
National Guardsmen who are still in
the service are behind the movement,
and the General Staff, rather than be
left out in the cold, is represented as
preparing to take possession of the
movement.
A National Guard convention is to
be held in St. Louis on May 5, and it is
understood that steps will be taken
then to advance the interests of the
Guard in the future military establish
ment of the country.
'Vets" Favor Citizen Army
Veterans of the war are to meet in
st. Louis on May 8, 9 and 10, to organ
iZe new Grand Army of the Republic,
and it is likely that they will have
something to say about the general
s. f,,k %oI
lishment. They will, it is said, insist
that the American army of the future
must be more democratic army, and
that the bulk of it must be citizen
soldiery.
The general complaint against the
regular army organization is that it
is too narrow in its views, too much
impressed with the superior wisdom Of
its officers, too clannish and snobbsh
and altogether out Of touch with Amer
lean life. The National Guardsmen
consider that on the whole the Ma
tional Guard and quickly trained Off
GERS from civil life gave better service
than the average of the REGULAR army
officers in all the lower grades, and
that they were often barred by the
prejudices and jealousies of the pro-
fessional soldiers from the higher
places.
The professional and business men
who were In the army have come to the
conclusion that modern war is a bust
ness and science and that the most eff
ficlent army for future emergencies
Will be one that can combine the train
ing Of civil life with a fair proportion
OF military technique. They would have
a regular army only large enough to
supply the men necessary for garrison
and police duty, for training the Ma
t!onal Guardsmen and to maintain the
skeleton organization of an army that
would be much larger than peacetime
necessities would require.
More Training Than Before
The plan the General Sstotf is reported
to be working on is one that will pro-
VIDE Tar more actual training than the
Guard ever had before, and also for a
much larger Guard than in the past
AS 1t ls' feared that Congress will not
authorize an army of more than 49,
0oo men, 1T is desired to have total
Guard membership of not less than
S5oo,o00. 1t is proposed to organize it
Dy groups of states into divisions and
corps, and finally a field army capable
OF immediate filling up in case of an
emergency to full modern field army
OF 100000 men. The plan contem-
piates complete skeleton army with
an the auxiliary corps and organiza-
tons from service of supply to avia-
tion @'''"
The training period now talked of is
Two months every year, as against
ten days before the war. While Il is
believed that it would be difficult to