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Show WEDGWOOD INTERPRETS NEW MILITARY TRAINING STATUTE Adjutant General of Utah National Guard Gives Comprehensive Analysis of Recent Army Legislation; Its Cause and Effect. By E. A. WEDGWOOD, Adjutant General of National Guard of Utah. During the past year the sentiment o the country has apparently crystallised crystal-lised into a demand for a better organized organ-ized and stronger military peace force than has ever beforo been maintained. To meet this demand congress inaa passed, and the president has approved, . an act that, for the firbt time in its ! history, gives this country a constructive construc-tive and settled military policy and provides pro-vides for carrving it out. There have been many different views as to what is a proper military policy and as to what the character and numbers num-bers of the forces to be organized and maintained should be, but that question is now behind us the law is passed and the discussion closed. Must Execute New Law We are now squarely up against a t condition, not a theory. We must now execute this law and meet all its re-s'lurements re-s'lurements or fail in an earnest attempt to do, or throw up our hands and jr-y its provisions are too stiff to go up against and that we will not even try to comply with it. Tt does not occur to the writer that any other existing law, federal or state, comes home to ihe people with such I force as does this. Ordinarily, laws are executed by officers designated for such purpose. This most be finally executed, execut-ed, if execution be practical, by the people themselves as individuals, the officers concerned, both federal and sfate, can at best oxilv aid and assist. Tot this reason it would seem well that every citizen should be informed as to its general provisions that he may know and appreciate what is actually required re-quired of trim and his stato. To Create Larger Army. Its provisions are intended to create a regular army of substantially 240,0CT0 men and a citizen soldiery of approximately approxi-mately 450,000, each with a reserve. The regular army has now a strength of not to exceed "100,000 and the existing exist-ing citizen soldierv force numbers approximately ap-proximately 120,000. It is evident, therefore, that practically practi-cally 140,000 additional men must enlist in the regular force and 250,000 more must voluntarily join the citizen force or the law will fail of its purpose and become impotent as a factor of preparedness. pre-paredness. Ija.w Is Exceptional. The law is also exceptional for the reason that, although it contains 12S sections, it Is, as to many things, and particularly as to the citizen force, but an outline, and the actual ba6ls of the structure to be built thereon is to be supplied by rules and regulations to be made by the president and secretary of war. To create and maintain an army the i requirement that exists first, last and j. all the time Is men up to the prescribed s?x-umber. For the regular army they will procured. In the future as in the past, l0" ' "u the agency of officers of the army stationed in cities and acting as recruiting officers. Their province is largely routine, for they cannot make enlistments en-listments unless applicants for enlistment present themselves. However, these officers of-ficers are backed by ample funds and facilities and a wealth of advertising. In the past the average cost of enlistments enlist-ments per recruit has been approximately $40, an amount greater than the federal fed-eral government has expended per year in arming, equipping, uniforming and training a citizen soldier as a member of the national guard. Under the provisions of the law, every able-bodied male who ia a citizen, or has declared his intention to become such, between the ages of IS and 45 is a member of the militia of the United States, which Is divided into three classes the national guard, the naval militia and tiie unorganized militia. A man transfers himself from the unorganized militia to the national guard by enlistment. enlist-ment. The respective slates are prohibited pro-hibited from maintaining troops hi time of peace other than as authorized in accordance ac-cordance with the organization prescribed, but they may use the national guard within their respective borders in time of peace and Tnay organize and maintain a state police, or constabulary. The number of enlisted men each state fs required to maintain as members of the national guard within its borders is fixed for the first year at 200 for each senator and representative in congress from the state, and this number must be increased 50 per cent yearly until a strength of 800 for each senator and representative rep-resentative is reached. This means that Utah must add practically 200 to the strength of its force within the year after the law becomes effective. Physical Qualifications. The physical qualifications for enlistment enlist-ment in the guard service are the same as for enlistment In the regular army. The president is empowered to designate what character of troops shall be organized or-ganized and maintained within a state; that Is. whether the organizations shall be infantry, cavalry, artillery or other branches of the service, and the number of each. The uniform, equipment, drill and instruction, and all other things pertaining per-taining to the service, must be alike in both branches. The state Is given the power to say at what place within its borders companies, troops or batteries shall be organized and maintained. The law does not enlighten us as to ; who appoints the officers of the guard within a state, but it does provide that those hereafter appointed shall be selected select-ed from certain classes of trained men, among which Is guard membership, and that before appointment they shall pass such tests as to physical, moral and professional pro-fessional fitness as the president shall prescribe; the examination to determine such qualifications to be conducted by a board of three commissioned officers appointed ap-pointed by the secretary of war from the regular army or . national guard or both. Authorized to Assign Troops. The president is authorized to assign the troops of the different states to brigades and divisions and may detail officers of-ficers either from the national guard or regular army to command such units. Very many of the western states would not have troops enough to form a brigade, if the provisions of the law are strictlv carried out, for five vears to come and for a year or two it will take the guard troops within three of them to make up the strength and organization of a brigade. Puties of Generals. What the duties of such generals in connection con-nection with the organization under their command are is as yet undisclosed, but from the nature of the case it would seem they should all come from the national guard or all from the regular army, for the pay of a brigadier general of the regular army is SH0O0 a year and that of major general $3000 a year, while the pay of each of these officers in the militia service, under the law, is but S500 per year. The law provides for pay of officers of the national guard service of the grade of captain and above, $500 per year- of first lieutenants, $240 per year; of second lieutenants, $200 per year, and of enlisted enlist-ed men, 25 per cent of the pay of enlisted en-listed men of the regular army, and prescribes pre-scribes a certain amount of attendance as a prerequisite of this pay and that credit for a drill or assembly by an organization or-ganization shalt not be given unless the number of officers and enlisted men present pres-ent for duty shall equal or exceed a minimum mini-mum to be prescribed by the president. Will Pay Semi-Annually. This pay Is to be disbursed by the officers offi-cers and agents of the quartermaster corps of the regular army, semi-annually upon pay rolls authenticated in the manner man-ner prescribed by the secretary of war It is provided that an appropriation shall annually be made by congress for the support of the national guard for the procuring of uniforms, equipment, quartermaster quar-termaster stores, horses not exceeding thirty-two for each troop or battery the payment of certain camp expenses and other expenses that are now or may be provided for by law, and this appropriation appropria-tion Is to be apportioned among the sev- era! states and territories under the direction di-rection of the secretary of war in direct ratio to the number of enlisted men in active service In the national guar.I of the respective states at the time of making mak-ing such apportionment, and such of these funds as do not ko to pay for equipment, equip-ment, using the term in its broader sense, are to be disbursed under the rules and regulations of the war department by a disbursing officer in each state appointed by the governor. Term of Enlistment. The term of enlistment in the guard service is for six years, three upon the active list and three with the reserve. If an enlisted man does his full duty he will attend forty-eight drills per year and an annual encampment of fifteen days. In time of peace discharges may be given enlisted men prior to the expiration of the term of enlistment under such regulations regu-lations as the president may prescribe. There are many other provisions in the bill, but the foregoing seem to be those of most general interest, except the provision provi-sion that the president shall make all necessary rules and regulations and issue such orders as may be ncessnry for a thorough organization. discipline and government of the militia provided for under the act. Tliis provision gives the president full power and discretion as to all things pertaining per-taining to administration and requirements require-ments to be made of the organizations and men of the guard not specifically fixed bv law, but, as before said, this practically means that the administration and requirements to he demanded of the men and the organizations will be fixed by the chief of the militia bureau. Demands High Standard. I Without doubt, the regulations that will bo prescribed will demand a high standard stand-ard as to membership, attendance, equipment, equip-ment, discipline and efficiency. "Without doubt, the standard should he high, yet it should not be so high that it cannot he reached when earnest, reasonable effort ef-fort is put forth by the respective states. Upon the wisdom used bv the militia bureau in these regards will depend in a great measure the success or failure of the law. If the business and human equation as it actually exists in a typical state is recognized, the federal government will have done its part in making good under the bill. On the other hand, regardless regard-less of the tenor and effect of the rules and regulations that may be prescribed, no success can be achieved unless the state provides the necessary number of men to come within a reasonable regulation regu-lation for the number of organizations required, re-quired, and appropriates a liberal sum of money to pay for armories, housing and care of equipment. , forage for horses, camp expenses and manv Hems which the federal appropriation does not provide for. When it is said that Ihe state must furnish these men. it must be understood to mean that these men must be gath ered together within the state bv the influence in-fluence of those citizens who are interested inter-ested and concerned in the matter, for the state has no power in itself to cause the enlistment of one man. It has been said that we must have preparedness. pre-paredness. The declaration to this effect ef-fect has gone forth bv public acclaim and demonstration. The public Is but a collection col-lection of individuals. It accomplishes nothing without individual action. If the law is to be, a success and we are to have preparoduess, individuals must act. Those who 'are competent must enroll themselves in the active military service ser-vice and those who are not competent: must use their influence upon those who are. s Duty to Perform. This state has a duty to perform. This duty is fixed by the law. The state will be on trial. It must make good or fail, but it cannot make good in the parlor or the convention hall. Actual service is all that will count. It is to be presumed pre-sumed that the. officers of the federal government charged with executive and administrative duties under the bill will act fairly and properly with nothing but the success of the law and the good of the service in view. In such event the sole question is, will the people of this state execuie the law and the regulations by furnishing t he number of men required that will give the service the time and attention it demands? |