Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-02-01
WON Be KICKED
OUT, GEN.. MURRAY
TELLS COMMITTEE
Clash Over Vredenburgh Retire.
ment Bill Wakes Hot in
State House.
SPONSOR FOR MEASURE
OBJECTS TO FIERY SPEECH
Ouartermaster- General Says the
Older Officers in Militia Will
Fight Unfair Displacement.
lFrom a STAFF Correspondent

TRENTON, Feb. There was a
rattle of oratorical bullets and the
crash of Numerically opposed views
today when the House committee on
militia conducted a hot campaign on
Captain Peter V~redenburgh's new Ma
tional Guard retirement bill.
General C. Edward Murray, quarter
laaster-general Of the State, offered a
substitute bill. providing that all OIL
GERS of the guard now under gu years
old shall at ga years be by a
court martial as to physical and mental
attachments, and, If found deficient, re-
tired.
The bill would not retire my officer
FOR at least five years, and its sponsor
Guaranteed that it would cause no dis
turbance.
General Murray waxed warm in his
denunciation of the whole plan to force
retirement of the senior officers OF the
guard. He said:
"The older men in the guard do not
propose to be kicked out simply to
make places for the younger men. They
are going to fight, and fight hard. IL
there is a desire TO do something, why
not PASS a law accomplishing some
thing WHY slap the old officers in the
face. There's something besides a mans
heart to be considered in passing on fit
ness. Lots of men at So are better than
men of 80.
Captain Vredenburgh objects.
art is ridiculous to talk of organizing
the guard on the lines of the regular
army. II is getting entirely away from
the original idea"
Repeated protests from Captain
~yredenburgh, chairman Of the COM
rnittee. resulted In the withdrawal of
General Murray's remarks about kick
ing men out"
Il tell you, though" General Muir
raw went on, 'that man Campbell will
not be pushed or forced out of tho
guard. He will get out, however. I
can say that positively he expects to
retire. He only wants time. If you
pass this v%redenburgh bill General
Campbell will fight 1t. He will tie it
up in the courts for a year and the
guard will suffer- =
1t will be remembered tn d. the last
Legislature passed a military retire.
ment law and that General Edward
Campbell, commander of the First
Brigade, who was retired under 1t, had
the measure declared unconstitutional
by the Court of Errors and Appeals,
and ID 90 be reinstetcd. 1t has been
charged thai the wnoie retirement
move was one of personal animus
against Genera Campbell and some
other seniors and had for its object
creation of berths for younger men.
"isn't your substitute unconstitu-
tional?'' asked Colonel Walter e. Edge,
House majority leader.
"Yes,' said General Murray, "it Is.
and SO is the ~Vredenburgh bill, but my
bill will not be contested n the other
will. It isn't possible to draw q retire
iment bill that will be constitutional
"My bill was drawn by General How
ard. Acting on the principle in this
bill before the committee n the bill
passed last year. any man who wanted
to get rid of a judge he didn't like
could do so by ascertaining his age
n putting through a law to retire all
Judges of that age, say So, If the man
in question wasn't physically able to
pass examination"
Nelson ID. GasIkill Speaks.
Assistant General Nelson IS.
Gaskill, in his capacity as an officer
OF the guard and Il private citizen, be-
spoke Support TOT tne N"reuenpurSn OH
which he had drawn. He insisted that
II met the courts objections n would
tand q constitutional Test.
'The court held" he said, that last
years law was unconstitutional be-
cause no officer should be deprived OF
his duties, privileges and enrollments
without trial by court martial. If we
can constitute a medal court which
can be a court martial, We will meet
the Judgment of the Court of Errors
and that is what this bill contemplates
IF we are playing soldier then such
bills as this should not pass. but IL we
are seriously interested In the welfare
Of the guard and the State, this bill
should go through"
Mr.. Gaskill denied improper motives
and maintained that the bill had sprung
from a desire to improve the guard
and to meet the adverse criticism Of
regulsr army officers who hold, he said
that the Jersey guard is not a "mobilt
BODY" and is behind other States in 1T
progress.
Chairman v%redenhurgh and two Other
of the FIVE members of the COMMITTEES
are for reportinR the chairman's bill
favorahly. 1t was decided, however, I,
defer action for further hearing mex