The meeting that I attended in Washington was a joint conference of the National Association of State Universities and the Association of Agricultural Colleges & Experiment Stations. The purpose of the conference was to confer with the Secretary of War and officers from the War College in regard to utilizing the colleges of the country for the preparation of reserve officers. As a result of the conference the officers of the War College in charge of preparing a bill for introduction in Congress and the college men present were in essential agreement. The whole thought of the conference was for reasonable defense and not ot promote militarism in any sense. In fact the conference would work against militarism as sug gested by the members of Congress who are in favor of establishing three or four more purely military schools like West Point. The whole thought was to make reserve officers who will handle volunteers in case of necessity and who in times of peace which we hope will always continue will be truly civilians. The conference is opposed to any program that represents any sug gestion of utilizing the enthusiasm for military defense as a means of getting money for the benefit of schools. We do not want to harness the patriotism of our people to a program for the future support of the schools of the country at national expense. It was tentatively agreed that the following points should be embodied in the bill: First. That the War Department should detail to all colleges a Commandant for each 400 cadets or major faction thereof. This would permit each college having over 300 cadets to have an officer detailed, and all colleges having over 600 cadets two officers colleges having over 1000 three officers and so on. Second. The tentative agreement was favorable to giving the students all military clothing as well as arms and other equip ment. Furthermore it was though desirable to give students who continue the study of military subjects after their compulsory drill requirements have been completed a certain additional allow ance in the way of maintenance, perhaps accounting to in the neighbor hood of $1000 a year. This would apply only to juniors and seniors. The object of this would be to compensate the student for the loss of time that he suffers in instructing freshmen and soophmores. A great majority of the young men on reaching their junior year can earn as assisting in the laboratories or on the Farm $50 to $100 a year without great inconvenience. The thought is that the federal government should make assistance in the military department equally attractive. In other words, that the young men should not in a sense be penalized for continuing to study military science. Third. It is hoped that Congress will receive at the salary of a second lieutenant of the regular army all cadets whocomplete the full four years course in military science approved by the Secretary of War. After this six months of service the young man retires to civil life pledged however to enter the service of the government in case of war. During the six months he will have accummulated a few hundred dollars to aid him in starting in some occupation business or profession and will have no further military duties unless it becomes necessary to defend his country or possibly to put in a month or two in the summer of some of the five years of his service as a reserve officer. In such an event of course he would receive pay. These reserve officers would receive no salary unless called to actual duty. The would thought was to provide for defense without fostering a professional militaristic spirit. The college men present believed that the establishment of other schools like West Point would do this. The plan was to keep expenses low and make services a patriotic duty. However it was felt that the young men should not be handicapped by the lack of adequate federal maintenance. The spirit that we wish to infuse in the country is more nearly the Swiss spirit than anything that now exists. This military organization is regarded as one of the best possible for defense one of the poorest possible for conquest and the most removed from an offensive military spirit which promotes arroganos and social snobbery. It was arranged that the officers of the War College should draw a bill presenting these ideas to the members of the committee and that all members of the committee should have an

opportunity of making suggestions of criticising the bill before its introduction to Congress. It is believed that the President and the Secretary of War will favor the progress outlined when it is laid before them. The interview with the Secretary of War was very agreeable through of course no one has a right to say in advance exactly what the attitude of the President or the Secretary of War will be on any particular measure that may be laid before Congress relating to the details of national defense.