Evening star., 1924-08-03

nation. 1t is all voluntary; there is
no law requiring any one to take part
THE object Of the demonstration"
said Secretary Weeks last May 15.
lis to represent the mobilization re-
| quirements of our national defense
policy. Not only is public knowl-
edge of the plans essential to their
operation, but every citizen should
know their effect upon his obliga-
ton"
Gen. Pershing on May Is supple
| mented this saying: I'VE want the
people to realize the expediency and
! the wisdom-inf act, the necessity
of having some part of foresight in
| this matter. We expect them all to
participate in this defense test, and
in some suitable manner celebrate
| the day in comm emoration of the
| victory of American arms at st. Mi
| hiel."
For most of the people, necessari-
| ly, the test would mean only attend
| ing patriotic rallies, perhaps march
| ing in parades, and absorbing facts
| about the Army and the support they
| can give it in the event of war. The
net military result, however, in the
| expectation of the War Department
| would be the filing out OF the Skel-
| eton war force to a strength OF about
100000 men. OF this total the Dis
| trict of Columbia would furnish ap-
proXimately 10000 men, including
| the guard already organized.
Essentially Local Effort.
The defense test is to be essential
| ly a local effort. No federal funds
are available for financing it In the
District, as in each state and comb
munity,, whatever expense is incur,
red, will be met by local funds, though
such expense is not expected to be
| considerable. Every community will
have its defense test committee, ap-
| pointed here by the Commissioners
and elsewhere by governors and
mayors.
How the individual citizen is af
| fected will be described hereafter,
but to form Il proper conception OF
the plan the background, as painted
| by Gen. Pershing, Will be stated,
drawing upon his speeches and state
ments for the facts.
The National Defense Act of 1920
provided: The organized peace es-
| tablishment, including the regular
Army, the National Guard, and the
organiz reserves, shall include all
of those divisions and other military
| organizations necessary to form d
basis for a complete and immediate
mobilization for the national defense
| in the event of a national emergency
declared by Congress"
The act further provided that it
shall be the duty of the War De-
| partment Ito prepare plans Tor ma
t,onal defense and the use of the
military forces for that purpose, both
separately and in conjunction with
| the naval forces, and for the mobili-
| zaiton of the manhood of the nation
and it's material resources in an
emergency"
Authority for Test.
The foregoing extracts are cited
| by Gen. Pershing as authority for d
national defense test. In his con-
ception some sort of rehearsal by the
defensive forces is essential to prac-
| ticable compliance with the expecta- :
| tions of the nation If war should
| come The act he thinks, contem-
plates such a demonstration as has
| been announced for September II,
! although the wording says that only
| plans for expansion shall be made.
| Gen Pershing justifies his view
| point from his World War experience.
| He says: I'm past emergencies we
have had no plans and, relying upon
| hastily created forces, we have suf-
| fered from the extreme confusion
! incident to sudden expansion Thus
| the defense test is designed to famil-
| iarize the citizenry with the duties
! they would be called upon to perform
! in an emergency. Continuing, he says:
I'VE have never before taken such
step in instruction, and now we
are trying to educate each individual
i in a practical way, so that when the
time comes, if it should come. he
will not expect some one to lead
| him by the hand and point out what
| he should. do, or perhaps even do 1t
| for him. It IS to be a day during
| and position in the defense of the
country, should our security be
| threatened"
| Differences of Opinion.
| More or less exact ideas have been
formulated by the War Department
for the best and most complete car
] rying out of the defense test, but
! leaving the actual demonstration to
| local management means a certain
| fiexibllity in the days observance.
Already divergencies of views as to
! the extent of local observance have
| been recorded in the press. Some
! governors of States say they will
not call upon the civil population to
take part, limiting the test to the
| National Guard. Other executives
| pledge full co-operation. The War
| Department, through corps area COM
| manders, is giving advice or suggeS-
tions but not debating, according to
| Army officials. Yet if the observ-
ance falls short of filing out the
skeleton force with civilians a vital
part of the test is lacking.
| In brief the defense test as it af-
| fects the District, and will affect
every other community, requires re-
| cruiting for one day of the Regular
Army. National Guard and organized
The way this will be done will be
principally through the reserve Of
| fiers. There are about $4,000 such
| officers now commissioned, mainly
| World War veterans. These men in
their own communities are to look
over the field and pick out available
| recruits. In this they are expected
| to have the aid of the local defense
| test committee.
| Assembly Big Event.
| On September IL the leading event
| in each community will be the as
sembling of these men for parade
and possibly for more extensive op-
erations, but only for the one day.
Said Gen. Pershing: Units of the
| regular establishment and the Ma
| tional Guard, which have been fitted
| into appropriate places, constitute
our first line of defense and are to
be ready to take the field without
| delay.
Behind this first line we have the
| great body of reserves, which will
constitute the bulk of our armies.
| The units of this force have been al
located to sections of the country ac-
cording to population and the char
| acter or occupations OF the people
in each community: Reserve officers
have been assigned to local units or
groups of this skeleton force, and
| the defense test will be a trial of
their knowledge of the duties which
will automatically devolve upon them
to recruit, shelter, equip, supply,
train and otherwise care for their
respective organizations"
| Precisely how the local reserve Of
| ficers will select men to fill up the
ranks to maximum strength has not
] been announced by the War Depart
ment, but these officers know their
communities well and will have the