The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-07-26

The Indiana National Guard meets Tor It's
annual encarhpment under somewhat UNI
usual circumstances this year, eircum-
stances calling for something more than
the usual schoolgirl admiration for mill
tary clothing. There have been recent de-
velopments that call for some expression
of the deeper, stronger sentiment of graf
itude and loyalty to the citizen-soldier that
is felt by every right-thinking man who
has loved ones to be protected, home to
be made safe or other property to be con-
served. When, nearly year ago, a labor
union in New York expelled one of its
members for membership in militia COM
pany cry Of shame went up from the
whole country. but 1t was thought to be
merely a sporadic case. And though prom
inent labor leaders in all parts of the coun-
try so declared it, the New York Legisla-
ture very promptly enacted a law designed
to punish any sort of discrimination against
members of the militia on account of such
membership.
All supposed that Indiana, of all States,
would be free from any such thing, but
when the recent Evansville riot came UP
the people of this State were treated to
series of chilling shocks. They saw a mi
litia company on its way TO duty there
hooted and jeered as it marched past an
Indianapolis factory. They have seen men,
bers Of companies in Evansville, Indian
apolis and other cities expelled from menu
bership in labor organizations because they
me
bers OF the Evansville company bounded
| to their places of employment, with threats
of boycotting their employers IL they were
not forthwith discharged. And, to the ever
lasting shame of humanity be 1t said. We
have seen men whose property had been
protected by these young guardsmen at the
risk of their lives showing the craven
white feather and bowling to this outrageous
demand Furthermore, what is fully as
bad, in both spirit and effect, we have
| found some instances of employers, not
subjected to threats, discharging members
| of the militia from their employ because,
forsooth. call to military duty interrupts
| their work.
] II there were nobody to respond to mill
tary duty there would not be much occa-
sion for long employing anybody in indus
| trial work. If there had been militia
to guard Evansville it may well be doubted
| If there would be any property worth while
or anything in the way of business there
by this time. And, If there were no citizen
| soldiery, the very men that jeered the
| troops in Indianapolis and bounded them
with the boycott in Evansville would very
| soon be- living under much the same sort Of
military despotism they or their fathers fed
from on the other side of the ocean. No mi
litia means a big standing army in this or
any other country. And big standing army
in a democratic republic means a military
| despotism sooner or later, just as surely
| as night follows day--a fact the Journal
took occasion to point out when this boy
! cotting business first developed.
The Indiana National Guard, one of the
most efficient and the least expensive state
militia organizations in the country, has
never, on any occasion. failed to do its full
duty with gallant courage. 1t is more than
able to take care of itself against any open
! foe. but the insidious attack of combined
| socialistic spirit and cowardly commercial
greed is something 1t is not trained to meet.
1t Is the duty, as 1t should be the pleasure,
of the people to repay the protection these
young guardsmen give at the risk of their
lives, to meet this attack in such way
that we shall hear no more of it.