The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-09-27
READY FOR A WAR
Kansas National Guard Officers
Expect Trouble.
Think That They May Be Called
to Cuba.
ON A GOOD FOOTING.
Equipment and Everything in
First Class Condition.
Have Improved Arms and Are
Well Organized.

The Kansas National Guard is pre-
pairing for war, and the officers believe
that it is only a question of a short
time until the guard will be called into
action in the Cuban campaign.
Adjutant General J. W. F. Hughes has
gone back to Tennessee on a visit, and
during his absence Inspector General
William A. Pierce is in command of the
guard. General Pierce said today:
1T seems to me that the armed in
tervention Of the United States In Cuba
is almost inevitable; it may come any
day. When it does come there will be
a war and the United States viii need
National Guard soldiers will have a
chance to get into the fight
The Kansas soldiers are ready for the
war. They are prepared to take their
places in the line of battle within so
days time AS an organization, the
guard is entirely different from what it
was at the time of the Spanish war
Then it was poorly equipped. miserably
clothed, and deficient in many of the
rudiments of military tactics. Now the
guard is supplied with all the munitions
Of war which the government gives to
the reguler army itself, with the single
exception of the new Springfield rifles.
which have displaced the Krag-Jorgen-
sens in the regular army. The Krag.
however, was only displaced a few
months ago, and is still recognized by
military experts as next to the new
Springfield, the most effective military
rife in the world.
The almost unanimous opinion among
the National Guardsmen that war is
coming was perhaps absorbed from the
regular army officers and soldiers, whd
have been thick In Kansas this summer.
Only a few days ago a large body OF
regular troops was encamped in Topeka
en- route to FIT. Leavenworth from FIT
Riley and these officers were ~ tertafn-
ed by the local and staff officers of the
National Guard.
Almost without exception the regu-
lar army officers are hoping and long
ing for war They believe that the
Cuban difficulty Is likely to result in
American intervention. One Of them
is quoted as saying:
Il fought in Cuba during the Span
ish war. and know the people there.
and the country. The Cubans are lust
like other Latin Americans. They
have an Unsuitable taste for revolution.
They want to fight all the time, and
they won't lose this opportunity to
fight the United States. It will be a
hard campaign. The Cubans are bet
ter fighters than the Philippine island
ers. and will make US more trouble.
When Spain owned the islands, she
had to keep about 100000 soldiers
there all the time to preserve the
peace.
"Of course there are some people in
Cuba who will welcome American con-
troll of the islands. The commercial
classes viii be glad to have US take
hold and give that country a stable
government, but the common plug
Cuban will recognize it as a first class
opportunity to start a rough house.
The Cubans will fight on the same plan
as the Fiupinos: in small detachments
of great mobility.
''If Fred Funston has any chance at
all. he will take a men and go out
there and start something. And it
isn't likely that Roosevelt will try very
hard to hold him back. Funston is not
the kind of a man to sit around and
wait for somebody else to shoot first"
There are about 1900 men now en-
listed in the Kansas National guard.
and there are a great many companies.
especially in the Second regiment,
which are not recruited up to their
full number. If Kansas should be
called upon to send troops to Cuba,
there would no doubt be a rush to en-
list In some of the companies which at
present do not have their full quota.
The full strength Of the guard on a war
footing would be about $500 men.