Evening star., 1924-08-28
colladay Urges Older Mem
| bers of Organizations to
Join in Parade.


in advance assigned. The object now
is to have your organization repre-
sented in the parade by body of its
members carrying a banner with the
name of the organization thereon.
Suggestion for Service Flag.
The banner should be approximate
~ ci2 by 3 feet. and should have on
il. in addition to the name of the or
ganization the total number of its
members participating in the Defense
Test. and a separate statement of the
number of these who are at the front
as one-day volunteers.
For example:
Defense Day Test
Name OF Organization.
"T'otal participating, 1000.
"Day volunteers at the front, 500.
"This would indicate 500 individual
volunteers assigned to military units
who would not be with the orEanixa-
tion's marching body carrying the
banner and 500 who would be march
ing with the banner.
The men of Washington are on
trial. This is real Defense day test
of your organization. as we'll as of
other organizations OF Washington.
Will your organization stand the
test?
You should designate one of your
members to have command of your
organizations marching unit, and the
member so designated should imme-
diarely report in person or by letter
to Brig Gen. S D. Rockenbach, room
1894 Munitions Building. Nineteenth
and streets northwest Gen. Rock
enbach will be grand marshal of the
parade. and from his office your rep
resentative will obtain all details OF
assignment to duty, position in line
etc.
L. S. Workers Excused.
TT has been frequently asked
whe ther men in Government employ
will be excused to participate in the
test We answer: They will Their
participation in the parade and cere-
monies of the afternoon will be ac-
cepted in lieu of their usual service
at their respective Offices"
1t was announced today that Sec
retary Weeks of the War Department
would make an address at the dinner
conference at the New Willard to-
morrow evening of the national COM
mittee to support the defense test.
Secretary Weeks is returning from
his Summer home, at Lancaster, n. H.,
to speak it was said.
Col. Robert Bacon, Field Artillery.
Officers Reserve Corps, a member OF
Congress from New York, has been
selected to command the 18th United
States Field Artillery in the parade,
it was announced at the reserve head
quarters.
Col. Leroy w. Heron will command
the 3l3th Field Artillery. A meet
ing Of the reserve officers Of the Field
Artillery. Coast Artillery and Ord
nance was held last night in the
Graham Building.
Reservixts Meet Tonight.
There will be a meeting tonight of
the reserve officers of the quarter
master. finance and adjutant general
branches in the Graham Building. 14th
and E streets.
4 clear exposition of the purposes
of the Defense cay test was given
yesterday by Brig. Gen. Rockenbach
in an address before the Rotary Club,
in which he said, in part:
The War Department proposes in
the preparation for the defense test
and by the demonstration on the 18th
Of September, to acQuaint the people
of the United States with the law.
the national defense act. so that when
we are again confronted with a stu
alton like that of 40 years ago, when
the British captured Washington and
destroyed public buildings. there will
be no confusion, no incompetency, no
Indifference to defense. So that this
and our wives and children compelled
to fee.
Il am no alarmist. l do not believe
that Washington will ever again be
captured or destroyed. Against my
belief is the knowledge that Wash
ington is more vulnerable to hostile
airplane attack than it was to the
small British force which captured it
In 1914.
The salient features of the law Of
the land which we wish to make clear
are as follows:
Tells OF Defense Act.
IL. In accordance with our Consti-
tuition and traditions, a United States
Army, composed of Regulars, Ma
tional Guard and Organized Reserves.
of the relative strength of /, 2 and 8
is provided for. In the regular es-
tablishment 65 regiments of Infantry
are authorized, but "a are now mac
tive or non-existent, as the strength
of the regular component is fixed at
$4,000 enlisted men. The National
Guard has 80 per cent of its author
ized strength The Organized Reserve
has some $4,000 officers with war or
camp training, but no men.
.. Expansion of these skeleton
forces to war strength by mobilisa-
tion. We must make plans to fill their
ranks, train them against war. Are
we so supine or pusillanimous that
We dare not discuss the subject and
evolve a practical business plan for
putting the law into effect when we
need it? How dare we test out our
fire fighting organizations? Is it done
to start fire or extinguish Are?
81 The War Department plans for
mobilization in the event of war, pro-
vide for local mobilization committees
who will enforce the draft act (when
1T is passed) by intensive and selec-
hive recruiting, classifying the re-
.cruits and alloting them to the COM
,ponents of the United States Army.
AN important part of the task of the
mobilization committee will be the
selection of recurits so as not to in
terrupt the essential business of the
community.
II Extensive Plans Made.
II Reorganization commanders have
their plans made for the reception
sof the necessary number of recruits
40 fill the units to war strength, for
housing, feeding, clothing and equip
iing, caring for the sick. and train
dng their men. An Organization may
stay for months in their home town
before the War Department is ready
to receive them into regiments,
,brigades and divisions.
Z Now, without funds, and war
measures, we can but make a volun-