Show Still Mobilizing V. V V Strate Strategy consists in getting there first with men is r quotation iou famous in military circles Rapi of mobilization is ne test of military T efficiency 3 J Jl Therefore the sad tale o 0 of f our out pr present sen t process 0 of f rushing 1 troops to the border must make gay gar reading in London Paris Berlin Petrograd and Tokio r I I. For this is the way they managed in Europe in 1914 Germany declared war on Russia August 1 and at 6 o'clock of August 2 her 2 her troops from her regular army were in Luxemburg by noon of the same day in France and on August 4 in Belgium At the end of six days Germany had an active army of men in the field V The regular army of France was mobilized along her borders within I twenty four hours after the Germans entered Luxemburg And within two weeks she had an army of men operating co-operating with the Belgians and defending the north of France England had an expeditionary force of in Belgium and France in two weeks' weeks time But observe our present experiment in mobilization On March 10 orders went out from H Washington to get Villa who had raided Columbus the day before It was about a week Jafer later that American troops crossed the border border and and thus Villa had pI plenty nty of time in which to escape In the course of time General P Pershing's original punitive force of was increased to On June 18 President Wilson iss issued ed a call to the national guard for service on the Mexican border On June Junc 20 General Funston wired vired the war department for a force force- of men f t i The state militias began mobilizing mobilizing and and THEY ARE STILL AT IT Practically three weeks have passed with mobilization on of men not half completed t A censorship by the war department has been clamped on all information concerning the numbers and movements of the national guard but newspaper summaries betray the bitter truth about our preparedness prep redness difficulties ties j Excerpts clipped from many different Mates run like this Troops sleep on cobblestones while their train with berths is switched around the sidings V V Company leaves without cooks Recruits leave in civilian dress Mustering M incomplete i Over men rejected as result of physical examination retards i movement of infantry V VV Regiment needs physicians ambulance men and stretcher b bearers Companies will move as as soon as aa equipment is received from federal government t i departure Members of troops refuse to take federal oath and delay t Regiment has too many officers and must be reorganized Anti And it is now nearly three weeks since the presidents president's call Just what would be bc our chances with our nine forty-nine little armies if we were mobilizing mobilizing against against an invader |