The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-05-05
Fill UD the Guard.

Some harsh criticism has been in
dulged in by officers Of the national
guard who have become officers Of the
volunteer regiments into which the
guard is changed, upon the decision Of
their eXcellency and communicating
chief, the governor, to forthwith create
new regiments of the guard from the
surplus of volunteers, to be known as
the First, Second and Third regiments.
AS this wipes out the officers and men
who, without their assent and much
against their grain, have had to go as
volunteers instead of as national
guardsmen, and will leave them, on
their muster out Of the federal service,
without military standing, dropping
them back into the ranks of plain and
unadorned citizenship, they think that,
between the presidential order and the
gubernatorial purpose. they are being
hardly treated. And, on the surface
and from their point Of view, they are.
1t is rot their fault that they do not
go out as officers Of the national guard.
1t is as such that they have won their
spurs, as it were, and it is as such that
they wished to serve in the war. But,
as patriots, when it was decided at
Washington that they could not go
under that designation, because some
question was raised as to the power of
the president to send them out Of the
country they gave their services as
volunteers. supposing that when they
ceased to be volunteers they, or what
might remain Of them, would resume
their places as guardSmen.- They are
quite severe in their criticism of their
temporary commander-in- chief. Pri-
vately they say he is playing politics;
that he wants to distribute a lot Of
gold lace about the state before the
conventions, so as to recruit his ma
chine and get it in working order to
land that other veteran, Van SAINT, in
the governorship, and himself in the
senatorship. Allowance must be made
for some eXacerbation on the part of
these officers, thus summarily muster
ed out of the guard by the process of
mastering in as volunteers. 1t is but
human nature that they should sus-
pect the simple-minded, philosophical
gentleman whose acts they criticise of
Interior and utterly selfish motives;
sacrificing them upon the altar of his
uncribbed and uncabined ambition
We are confident that they do that
worthy great injustice; that they en-
tirely misinterpret his motives. They
should consider the condition in which
their departure will leave the state.
Absolutely without military protection.
Would the governor be doing his duty
were he to permit the state to be left
thus defenseless? Suppose that, while
these ex-guardsmen We're down in Cuba.
the Spaniards' should invade the state,
where would we all be at if there were
no regiments Of valiant guardsmen TO
be modified and sent against the in
vaders? Or suppose that Laurier. tax
Ing advantage of our exposed condition
should organize his Canadian militia
and send them down to capture the
state and annex 1t to the Dominion
Can they doubt that the governor, with
that prescience that foresaw in the I'M
cleaned cattle sheds Of the fair grounds
the suitable barracks for the yolun-
teers, did not also take In all these
possibilities? True, injustice is done
these men, but where the lives and
property Of so many are at possible
rlsk' can they expect the guardian-in.
chief of everybody to let iniustice +o
the rev endanger the many.