The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-04-20
FAIR PLAY FOR sNoWDEN.
He Didnt Ask, as Alleged, for an In-
dependent Command.
From the Thiladolphia Press.

II lOlil lllG nlluOClpEla Press.
Major General George II. Snowdcn, OF
che Pennsylvania National Guard, Just re-
turned from conference with the sccre-
tary of war and other officials Of that
department in Washington. yesterday cx-
pressed himself TO Press reporter as
greatly annoyed by a statement i'm Il New
York Sunday newspaper concerning his
attitude before the official conference re-
ferred to.
In common with other representatives.
OF the national guard" said General
Snowden, II went to WashinSto ton 10 as
sure the president and secretary of war
that the national guard is at their dis
posal and that the Pennsylvania guard.
at least, is anxious to a man. to serve
In any capacity to which they may be as
signed, and under whatever conditions
the president may impose
Under these circumstances. continued
General Snowden, 'it is more than annoy
Ing for me to be placed in the utterly
ridiculous light of having expressed a
wish to lead the PENNSYLVANIA troops
against the Spanish without restraint or
direction of any kind from the ma jor gen
| eral commanding the army or any officers
connected with the regular troops for
that is the way it was put in the New
York newspaper
ANY man would be more than a fool
who ever harbored such an idea for an
instant, and every military man would
recognize the fallacy of such n thought
at once. j desire to say that the report
of my having made such a proposition is
utterly false, that no such proposition
was made by me or any one else at the
conference, but that, on the contrary, all
the officers of the national guard who
were present manifested an eagerness TO
| be assigned to any sort of duty in which
| the services of the guard could be made
available"
as it part of the plan that the troops
| from each state shall be Kept together
and that the state organizations shall re-
| main intact?'
| THAT is just what we are urging at
| Washington, and that is the only possi-
BILE shadow of a foundation for the re-
| port that I suggested an independent
army for the Pennsylvania guard, but
| the fact is that all we ask in this con-
| neCtion is that II a sufficient number OF
1 our state troops are called OH 10 make
n respectable. sized division that it may
| be so operated under the general officers
of the entire army. This will, OK course,
| depend up II the number of troops called
! for, hut the Pennsylvania brigade COM
| mandCrs and myself would be very much
| gratified If there could be Il Pennsylvania
| division in which we could play our part
| however great or small. as an integral
| part of the great volunteer force of the
nation adjunctive of the regular army
and under the supreme command of tht
president as cummander-in-chiCf, Gen
| eral Miles and his corps commanders, oil
in any way the war department shall de-
| cree.
| "All we want" continued General Snow
den. 'is to get a chance to be a part q
| the army We are asking for no specia
| favors, nor do the officers of the nationa
| guard Of any of the states seek advant
| ages over other volunteers, but we claim
| that the state divisions can do better
work if they are kept together. and thai
is what we hcps may be done