The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-05-31
CLASH SEEMS IMMINENT
BETWEEN THE WAR DEPART
MENT AND SOME GOVERNORS.
GOVERNOR RUSSELL AMONG THE LATTER
He Informs the Department that he Cannot
and viii not Try 10 Recruit the Com
panies Now in Ranks to l06
Men Each.

Under the new call for $4,000 youn-
teers into the United States Army, the
War Department at Washington seems
to have adopted plan that is not going
to work we'll
1t may perhaps be effective in big cities
where they have already organized III
State and national guards big regiments
but in North Carolina, where companies
are only available in most Of the com.
munities and where the volunteers are
in many instances, composed Of the best
Of the young men of the State, it IS not
going TO be popular
| The suggestion has come from the Wal
Department to Governor Russell (and
perhaps to other g0vernors), that he
| shall proceed to recruit the companies
already in camp to 1906 men each, and
| thereby secure privates alone for the
| States quota of volunteers under the
second call
! This means that the Governor shD'
proceed to secure for each company now
in camp Mt Jacksonville, Florida, and al
| Camp Russell here, 26 additional pri
| Yates, without the commissioning of q
single additional officer.
1T can't be DONE" said General
! CoWles.
We are ready to organize one, two
three or even four additional regiments
and we have white companies enough
who have rendered their services but
the young men who are volunteering il
| North Carolina are doing so with the
1
with their own captains and lieutenants
and they are not going to volunteer t.
20 off in small squads and be assigned
to companies and commands where they
know neither officers nor men,"
General Cowles is perhaps right. The
boys who are going to the war from
/ North Carolina have not volunteered
simply because there was a war in sight
land the opportunity was offered them
to get Il camp meal ut government eX-
pense. They have. as n rule, gone in
from high sense of duty and loyalty
| Hundreds of them have left comfortable
and in many instances, luxurious homes
They have their local commanders, and
| they have followed them into camp fully
realizing what il means to go to war
| Among the privates in these companies
| Ii the son of one of North Carolina
Governors, and the grandson of another
There are also grandsons of United
States Senators, among these privates
as well as former captains and lieuten
ants Of the State Guard.
The State can raise its quota Of any
call the President may make, but in re-
eruiting regiments already formed, the
State will perhaps have the same diff
Guilty that the government seems TO bt
having in recruiting the regular army.
1t is said that with all their recruiting
stations all over the United States they
are only securing about three Thousand
Il month Ask for them in companies
and let them bring in their own com
missioned and non-commissioned com
pany officers, and the responses will b,
all that may be required.
The communication from the war de
partment was more Of n suggestion thar
il was an order and the idea was Wig
orously combatted by Governor Russell
who wired the department in plain Fin
| glish that he could not do it, and woul,
not attempt it, Several messages have
/ passed, but the situation has not beer
changed.