Major William Anthony Elderkin, U. S. A., then read the following paper, upon "THE MILITARY POWER OF THE UNITED T STATES." O be called upon to respond for "The Army" is an honor and responsibility that I always appreciate, but to-night I feel that the honor and responsibility are intensified, addressing, as I am, descendants of those heroes who, in the Colonial War of 1758, stood their ground, firing from behind trees and stumps, while the regulars of the British army ran past them; and who, without doubt, were the nucleus for the formation of our army, which began its glorious history on the 19th of April, 1775, and which today but awaits the opportunity to add further victories to its already brilliant record. Our army, when compared with those of the principal foreign nations, is not large in numerical strength. But we must remember that no great nation has so simple a military problem as America. A republican form of government is not compatible with a large and powerful standing army. France, surrounded on every side by enemies, is compelled to maintain one for self-existence. Monarchy, on the other hand, and a large and standing army, are correlative matters. Whereas we have no jealous and threatening neighbors, no inherited race quarrels which are such potent factors in hastening war. We are, by reason of our great numbers and vast territory, absolutely free from all danger of a war of conquest. Our only need, therefore, is that we should be in a condition to discuss international questions with foreign powers without having our greatest cities, and their vast wealth and com. mercial interests, absolutely at the mercy of those powers. Gentlemen, when you look back on what our army has done in the past, I do not think you need fear for the future. If, during the Revolution, but 309,781 men were engaged; during the war of 1812, 556,622; during the Mexican War, 112,230, and during the War of the Rebellion, 2,778,304, what is there we could not overcome when you consider the following figures? The aggregate number of the Regular Army is.... Making a total effective force of........... To this add the number of men available for military duty (but unorganized), viz :........... Shows a total strength of......... .... 28,216 116,899 145,115 9,582,806 9,727,921 men, or more than three times as many as were engaged during the four years of the Civil War. Our little standing guard of 28,216 men is the nucleus of a larger and majestic force, which, when the opportunity and necessity arrive, has its own and peculiar duties to perform. The Adjutant-General's department, QuartermasterGeneral's, Commissary-General's, Surgeon-General's, Inspector-General's, the Corps of Engineers, the Ordinance department, the Signal Corps, and other staff departments, are all well trained in their duties. The Light and Heavy Artillery, the Cavalry, and the Infantry, are all drilled with the utmost care from "Reveille" to "Taps" from daylight to dark. The Military Academy teaches the young military idea how to shoot like officers, and the Military Recruiting Depots to make it shoot like soldiers. Now, what is it for? What is the expense of $23,279,402.73, or $800 to $900 per man, for? A regular standing army? No! A nucleus for a larger and majestic force? Yes! that's it. Here 14,000 Infantry, 4,300 Artillery, and 6,604 Cavalry-say 25,000 well drilled men. In two months we can have an army of 2,000,000. Yes! And in four months more than 4,000,000; this being less than half the total number of men available for military duty, but unorganized. This regular army of ours is the yeast, the leaven which, placed with care, will leaven the whole mass. Each private will make a non-commissioned officer, each non-commissioned officer will make a lieutenant or captain, each captain will make a field-officer, and as for privates we will take them from the sturdy and strong men who know little of war, but are there, "rough and ready" to march and fight, and, if necessary, to fall in defense of the nation's colors-"The Red, White and Blue" - the "Old Glory" -the "Star Spangled Banner"-just as our ancestors did 120 years ago. A recent estimate of the present position of European powers in the matter of armaments is as follows: At the head of all stands Russia, with an army of 858,000 men in peace times, or a percentage of 9 soldiers to every 1,000 inhabitants. Germany comes next with an effective strength of 580,000 men, which works out at 13 per 1,000. France follows Germany with an army of 512,000 men, or 14 per 1,000. Italy comes next with an effective of 300,000, or 10 per 1,000 inhabitants. While the British army is said to have a total effective of 230,000, and a percentage of 6 per 1000. The Spanish army has 100,000 effectives, or a percentage of 6 soldiers per 1,000 inhabitants. These figures are interesting for comparison. I will ask you to excuse me, gentlemen, for now taking you back to the year 218 B. C.—it is a long time ago—but I want to draw your attention to what was done by an army smaller than our own. I refer to the Carthagenian army, when, with Hannibal in command, it at last stood safely in the valley of the Po ready to start on its great errand of avenging the disgrace and misfortune inflicted on its country in the great Punic War. How Hannibal, with only 26,000 men, braved the Roman armies even when they outuumbered his, more than four to one, and with his often half-starved and ill-supplied forces breathed defiance against Rome for half a generation. My object in referring to this page of ancient history is that I may allay the anxiety of any of you, dear friends, who within the past few minutes have been performing mental calculations with the figures I have just given you, and discovered that some of the nations I mentioned outnumbered our forces to the extent that the Romans outnumbered Hannibal's. The moral I want to draw is this: If the antiquated Captain was able, in the year 218 B. C., to hold his own against such odds, you certainly need have no fear but that Major-General N. A. Miles, with his command of 28,216 men, can "go him one better" in the year 1896, A. D. George Jules Denis was then introduced by the Governor and delivered a bright and witty extemporaneous speech, in which he generally and in a happy style, discussed the various papers which had been read. The exercises were then brought to a close by the singing of "Auld Lang Syne". H ARRY WOODVILLE LATHAM, the first Secretary and a charter member of this Society, was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, on September 30, 1862, and died at his home in Pasadena, Los Angeles County, California, on May 14, 1896. He was the son of Mr. George W. Latham who, during the Civil War, served upon the staff of General Robert E. Lee. His maternal grandfather was Mr. Philo Calhoun, for many years president of the First National Bank of New York, a man widely known and respected. Mr. Latham's boyhood was spent at Bridgeport, Connecticut, where his family then resided. He entered Yale College in 1879, graduating with honors in the class of 1883. While at Yale he was a member of the principal college societies, and took a prominent part in athletics. After his graduation at Yale, he took the regular course of study at the Columbia College Law School, New York, and graduated therefrom. Upon his graduation, he was admitted to the bar and entered the law office of Seward, Griswold, Guthrie & Da Costa, New York, where he spent some time in the practice of his profession. Owing to ill health in 1887, he came to California, and in 1889 he established himself in the practice of the law at Los Angeles. In 1891 he formed a partnership with M. L. Graff, Esq., and the firm thereupon became attorneys for the Board of Trade. Mr. Latham was a faithful and consistent member of St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal Church, Los Angeles, of which |