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Story
February 20, 1908
Valentine Democrat
Valentine, Cherry County, Nebraska
What is this article about?
Maj. Gen. J. Franklin Bell urges expanding the US army to 250,000 men, warning that untrained volunteers cannot match organized foes in war, based on his annual report advocating preparation and canteen restoration.
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OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
WANTS BIG ARMY.
Major General Bell Says Uncle Sam Should Have 250,000 Men.
A United States army of 250,000 men. That is what Maj. Gen. J. Franklin Bell, chief of staff, says Uncle Sam would need if involved in war with any first-class power. "We should not allow ourselves to nurse a false sense of security," says this man, who is in charge of the United States army, in his annual report, "or continue to entertain the illusion that a brave, but untrained, unorganized people can grapple successfully with another nation better trained and organized."
This is from Gen. Bell's report, in which he asks the government to consider important facts, recommending an increase in the army and the restoration of the canteen.
"It is a modest assumption," says Gen. Bell, "to say that the United States will, if involved in war with any first-class power, require the immediate mobilization of 250,000 men, to be speedily followed by as many more, with a possible ultimate additional increase of four times that number.
"One division, 18,000 troops, is, of course, not sufficient to meet any need at a time when isolation has become a thing of the past, and we have points of a possible friction in so many directions.
That we can first in any popular outburst raise volunteers in great numbers may be admitted. We have the men, the money, etc., but we will not have the time to convert these men into soldiers able to cope with the trained soldiers of other nations. It can be safely relied upon that the remoteness of war largely depends upon preparation to meet it. Unless other great nations are wrong and wasting time and money, they are giving us an object lesson which Americans will some time have to learn by costly and humiliating experience, and which it is the urgent duty of professional soldiers to point out; namely, that time and training are both necessary to convert an untrained volunteer into a soldier, whether for infantry, cavalry, artillery, engineers' or signal corps. The last great war clearly demonstrated that the side which is ready and acts promptly gains a decisive advantage.
GEN. J. F. BELL.
Major General Bell Says Uncle Sam Should Have 250,000 Men.
A United States army of 250,000 men. That is what Maj. Gen. J. Franklin Bell, chief of staff, says Uncle Sam would need if involved in war with any first-class power. "We should not allow ourselves to nurse a false sense of security," says this man, who is in charge of the United States army, in his annual report, "or continue to entertain the illusion that a brave, but untrained, unorganized people can grapple successfully with another nation better trained and organized."
This is from Gen. Bell's report, in which he asks the government to consider important facts, recommending an increase in the army and the restoration of the canteen.
"It is a modest assumption," says Gen. Bell, "to say that the United States will, if involved in war with any first-class power, require the immediate mobilization of 250,000 men, to be speedily followed by as many more, with a possible ultimate additional increase of four times that number.
"One division, 18,000 troops, is, of course, not sufficient to meet any need at a time when isolation has become a thing of the past, and we have points of a possible friction in so many directions.
That we can first in any popular outburst raise volunteers in great numbers may be admitted. We have the men, the money, etc., but we will not have the time to convert these men into soldiers able to cope with the trained soldiers of other nations. It can be safely relied upon that the remoteness of war largely depends upon preparation to meet it. Unless other great nations are wrong and wasting time and money, they are giving us an object lesson which Americans will some time have to learn by costly and humiliating experience, and which it is the urgent duty of professional soldiers to point out; namely, that time and training are both necessary to convert an untrained volunteer into a soldier, whether for infantry, cavalry, artillery, engineers' or signal corps. The last great war clearly demonstrated that the side which is ready and acts promptly gains a decisive advantage.
GEN. J. F. BELL.
What sub-type of article is it?
Historical Event
What themes does it cover?
Survival
What keywords are associated?
Army Expansion
Military Preparation
Gen Bell Report
War Readiness
Volunteer Training
What entities or persons were involved?
Maj. Gen. J. Franklin Bell
Where did it happen?
United States
Story Details
Key Persons
Maj. Gen. J. Franklin Bell
Location
United States
Story Details
Maj. Gen. J. Franklin Bell, chief of staff, recommends in his annual report that the US army be increased to 250,000 men for potential war with a first-class power, emphasizing the need for trained and organized forces over untrained volunteers, and suggests restoring the canteen.