The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1907-06-21
The Vermont National Guard.


PAPERS IN various portions Of the state are
commenting on the weak numerical showing
Company / made at lis annual lnapecliun
Monday As matter OF fact tue local
company is badly iu need Of recruiting anu
unless new men are added soon, u IS hAeS
10 lu the way of Company Is OF St Adams
II Is unfortunate that something can De
done TO ar8usv now interest Ia the militia
hrrclbouts. Braltlcb9ru cannot have its
company 20 out OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Refurmpr.
81. Adams and Braitleburo have passed
through q wcll.nigh similar experience IN
this militia bushes, q peculiar combination
Of circumstances enabling BraitlcbOr0 10
mold ON little longer that all. From the
early EOS when the Vermont National
Guard was in the first Of the full flower OF
its social popularity immediately after the
Civil War, for many year the two villages
Of Braitebnro and 81. Adams contributed
more Institutions, officers, and men 10 the
military service OF ihe state thah any othtF
communities represented in the militia. 81.
Adams Tor years and years sent 10 the an
nual musters two full companies Of infantry
and the crack Brigade band beside, Brat
tleboro likewise sent o full company Of in
fantry and completely equipped battery
Of artillery Both places for years were
represented in the list OF field and stah on
GERS by more or less conspicuous S0up Of
ardent militamen. All this, bear IN mind,
was in that hcydAy Of 20 or 70 years, per
like the militia Of all the states, laid prob
ably as much emphasis upon the social side
Of its experience as 1t did upon the truly
military aspect Of It, and sometimes a little
more, and at time when 1t cost great
deal Of money TO keep up these institutions
rs an entity or to maintain individual mem
beTship in them.
The result is no more than might have
been expected. 1t is simply the inevitable
reaction from one extreme 10 the other.
Vnua. ,ttt l.
than their fair share Of the work Of main
tanning the Vermont National Guard have
got tired and quit. That's the plan Eng
fish Of it.
To be sure there is yet another phase OF
the situation that should not be passed
lightly by, because, while it may not be
the first cause Of the present apparent in
difference toward military interests in the
two places, 1t is nevertheless secondary
influence to that end, and. even without the
previous record OF experience, might soon
produce the same results OF its own force
and that is the fact that in the past few
years the militia business has become
great deal more serious than 1t used to be
and demands great deal more time study
and hard work. beside sacrifices of leisure
and pleasure innumerable
The simple fact is that, whereas, in for.
mer times the state militia was essentially
state militia and nothing else a remnant of
the old,tme conception Of the peculiar SOW.
erelgnty OF states, petty army Of a petty
power an internal police, to apply more
practical theory; today the United States
government has taken hand in the matter
What was a state militia is literally ma.
ilonal guard, great second line of national
defense, the nucleus of a volunteer army
the nations reserves. And whereas in many
Of the Old World countries the maintenance
OF this second line Of defense and the re.
serves IS provided for by the enforced mill.
tary service of every eligible male for n civ.
en- period, or in other words, by conserlp-
tiG'., IN this land of liberty we are now en-.
gagged in the experiment Of attempting to ae.
Co. the same result, not by oompulsion
but by volunteer service But-and here
the nub of the problem lies-the national
guardsman of today in his more serious
capacity as reinforcement of Uncle Sans
regular army is put to a severity or disei.
pune ana righteousness of task and labor
mat is Just what the real professional sol.
der requires, beyond a doubt, but is not
particularly inviting to the amateur
Making every reasonable allowance for
the gratlhcation of natural bent that attracts
most men to ats ranks, service in the Ma.
tonal Guard today is still largely A matter
Of civic pride and personal sacrifice,
great many men in Vermont TO-DAY have
given up many of the good things of life in
perfect themselves as citizen soldiers in
time of peace have devoted great deal Of
leisure, OF labor, energy and patience TO
framing other men to be citizen soldiers 1t
IS kind of mute, inglorouS sacrifice for
the public good, and not generally under.
stood by the public that it serves But
Wheh, as IN IS, war care and thousands of
IN soldiers unhestatingly offered
their lives, their fortunes, and their so
cred honor to the country as their fathers
in every generation had done before them
and when all too many of them made that
noble promise good by a martvr's death
the people of the country that smile nj tbe
National Guard began to understand what
a splendid training school for volunteer
army it is and how earnestly and faithfully
every thoughtful citizen ought to do his
part to conserve its legitimate interests and
wait" S''i'u anu