The Dominion THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 1016. AMERICA THE UNREADY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2809, 29 June 1916, Page 4

The Dominion THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 1016. AMERICA THE UNREADY

The Mexican trouble is evidently going to have a very material effect on the coming Presidential election in the United States. Wo are told that tlifi Republicans expect to gain a great number o£ votes bccause of the unpopularity of President Wilson's handling of this thorny problem. The situation as it at present exists must be galling to the majority of the American people. The President's "wait-and-see" policy has proved the sort of failure most people expected it to provo when put to the test. The people have waited only to see things go from bad to worse. Recent developments have not only revealed the weakness of the President's Mexican policy, they; have also made manifest the inoffioioncy of the American military system. The conflict with Mexico' has demonstrated in the most striking way that the American army organisation is quite out of date and feeble in the extreme. United States newspapers to hand by this week's mail devote a great deal of space to the discussion of various aspects of "the army question. Failure of theexisting system is generally admitted, ibut there is not the same degree of unanimity as to the remedy. The calling out of the militia in [certain States when forces were urgently needed for patrol work on ■the Mexican frontier failed to pro'duce the expected results. . The information available is not sufficiently definite to enable one to ascertain 'the extent of the failure, but it certainly placed the Government in a difficult and embarrassing position. 'It was reported on May' 23 that the mustering of the Arizona and New Mexican Guardsmen was delayed until the skolcton companies could be recruited to the required standard, and that Secretary Baker had not then decided what action should bo 'taken regarding 116 Texas Guardsmen who declined to enrol in the 'Federal Service. Such incidents as these have made it clear to the people of America- that something is radically wrong with their army. These practical proofs of unpreparedness in face of the critical situation with Mexico are more impressive than volumes of argument. The 'New York Outlook, a journal of high standing, declares that the failure of tho Militia of Texas, New "Mexico, and Arizona to respond promptly to the call for service proves the futility of depending on the National Guard in a 'national emergency. It has been discovered that many companies in all three States are far below their paper strength. Tho Outlook advocates thft. abolition of the militia in its present form, with its double allegiance to State and nation, and asserts that the failure of the militiamen of Arizona and New Mexico in this crisis ought to bo convincing proof of tho desirability of substituting for the present militia, of ambiguous responsibility a Federal militia based on universal military training with allegiance and responsibility to the National Government alone.

•Tho Mexican trouble is making Americans think. They sco that tho oxistiag Btato of unpreparedness for war has not only lowered tho prestige of their country, but is also a menace to tho national safety. They realise that the whole military system must bo overhauled and strengthened. Ten days after tho President's recent urgent call on the National Guard the .mobilisation and assignment of tho guardsmen was still far from complete, and the only dofenco for this delay is that it took tho regular aripx six days

boforo it conlcl send a force across the border in pursuit of Villa and his bandits. The argument, therefore, runs that, judged by tho staudard of tho regular army, tho American militia is not so bad, which is a pretty poor sort of argument when the organisation of tho regular army is also a subject of general criticism. The only satisfaction which tho defenders of the oxisting system seem able to get out of an unhappy situation is the contention that tho National Guard in other States is far more efficient than in the SouthWest. And yet the South-West has j been tho danger spot for ' years, [llowcvcr, the test provided by tho Mexican trouble has opened the eyes of the American people, and it has done much to discredit tho Wilson Administration. Tho President has had a good deal to say about preparedness, but so far ho has dono littlo or nothing, and what ho proposcs'.io do is not sufficiently thorough to satisfy those who desire to see America's lost prestige restored. Mr. Roosevelt is looked upon as the chief apostle of preparedness, and the fact that he is urging his friends to support Sin. Hughes may reasonably be taken as an , indication that the Republican candidate for tho Presidency favours a strong defence .policy. Whether the United States will manago to escape war with Mexico is seriously open to doubt; but, war or no war, tho citizens of the great Republic will have realised tho humiliating position into whioh their governors havo 'allowed them to drift. At the moment they aro unequal to facing even the Mexicans in the field. The blamo for that situation rests largely on tho shoulders of Peace-at-Any-Pnco President Wilson, and his opponents can bo relied on to impress that fact on the minds of the people during tho coming Presidential campaign. _____