Moines, or Newark, or in Akron, the young men choose to get together and form a rifle club, there can be some objective point to work for in the way of some simple competition. That can readily be arranged so that competitions can be put about in different parts of the country. . . . I shall be very glad to come before the committee any time that the committee thinks my presence will be useful to them. Mr. CAPRON. I could not let you go away, Mr. Secretary, without saying - and I voice the sentiment of every member of the committee, I am sure,— that it is with deep regret down in our hearts that we approach the time when you are no more to come here as our adviser, and when we are to depend on some source of information other than that on which we have depended so long and so reliably; I can only say that this regret is coupled with the hope that you will not forget that this committee and Congress and the country will look to you hereafter, as they have in the years just passed, for such advice as we believe you can give for the improvement of the military service. Secretary ROOT. You are very kind, and I am deeply appreciative of what you say. I want to say that I very keenly appreciate not merely the courtesy and kindness but the public-spirited and generous consideration that I have received from this committee. The association has been most delightful, and it is peculiarly pleasant to feel that it has been without any division or distinction or prejudice upon the score of party or locality. I do not expect ever to find myself working with men more single-minded in the desire to promote the public interest than the men of your committee, Mr. Chairman, with whom I have been working for the past four years and a half; and while I shall be glad to get home and get back to my own proper work in the practice of law, I shall leave Washington with great regret in parting from you all. THE SPIRIT OF NATIONAL SERVICE As stating Mr. Root's views concerning the military policy which the United States should now adopt and should pursue in the future, the volume devoted to the Military and Colonial Policy of the United States may be closed appropriately with the following letter to Lieutenant-General S. B. M. Young, president of the Association for National Service: MY DEAR GENERAL: CLINTON, N. Y., September 17, 1916. I am obliged to you for sending me the papers relating to the Association for National Service. We certainly need the spirit of national service in our country. It is a mistake to suppose that a people can have good government, peace, order, and progress for any long period without any effort on their part. We in the United States need to have our patriotism awakened, to throw off our indifference, and to think more of our duties as well as of our rights. Every one who is fit to be a citizen of a free country ought to be willing to serve the country when called upon, in accordance with his ability. The young men who are physically fit for military duty should hold themselves ready to fight for their country if need be, and if they are not ready when the need comes they will not long have any country, and they will not deserve to have any. The vast change in the way of carrying on war which has occurred within a very few years has created a situation in which it is perfectly plain that no country can be ready to defend her independence against foreign aggression except by universal military training and a resulting universal readiness for military service. The old way of waiting until war came and then calling for volunteers has become obsolete, and is no longer effective. The National Guard system is not adequate and cannot be made adequate to meet the needs of national defense under any real assault upon our right. It is impossible to have an effective body of soldiers who serve two masters and are raised and organized to accomplish two different purposes. Universal training and readiness for service are not only demanded by plain common sense, but they are essentially democratic. They were required by law during the early years of our Republic, for every male citizen between the ages of eighteen and forty-five was required to be ready to fight for his country and was required to be trained and provided with arms in accordance with the simple needs of warfare in those days. It is only necessary now to apply the principles and requirements of the national law of May 8, 1792, adapted to present conditions. You have my best wishes in your patriotic endeavors. With kind regards I am always faithfully yours, Lieut.-Gen. S. B. M. YOUNG, ELIHU ROOT. President Association for National Service, Washington, D. C. |