The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-06-16
NATIONAL GUARD
TO Be PRESERVED.
Federal Government May Take the
Matter Up and Offer Some Relief
Is the Prediction
Made.
BY INSPECTOR GENERAL.
Connecticut Official Has Written to
Congressman Giving Close View
of the Eastern Citizen
sodlery.
BY INSPECTOR GENERAL

An intimate and close view of the
national guard is presented in let
ter written to Major John Q. Tilson,
representative at large from Connect.
cut by Col. Edward Schulze, inspector
general, c. \. G. Col. Schulze pre-
diets that it will be necessary for the
federal government to provide some
relief if the national guard is to be
preserved.
Every national guard officer" says
Col. Schultz, no matter from what
state, will tell you that since the
passage and enforcement of the Dick
bill, and since actual work is ex-
pected of the militia, the membership
has decreased and majority of com
pany commanders have hard work to
keep their organization UP to min
imum. This may sound strange, but
1t is nothing more than fact Since
the annual outings of the old guards
have gone into history, and the real
| working camps have been established,
the men are not there.
When men are asked to come in
they want to know what inducements
there is for them to join. Then you
might talk patriotism, military educa-
ton, or anything you may think of,
but the last thing of all to induce
them is patriotism. which. strange as
it may seem, is possessed by very few
men in time of peace Patriotism does
not seem to come to most men until
the day when war is declared, when
they all get full of it to the neck, but
too late
AS matters stand today, in the
militia there is not man, from the
highest officer to the private. who is
not out of pocket financially by the
mere reason of his membership in the
militia.
Now, as to the army officers need
ed for instructors of the militia,
want to say that they are needed very
much, but let us have the militia first.
No community would ever think of hir-
ing lot of school teachers until they
had the children to be taught.
Il know not why, but there appears
to be, just the same, a number of
regular army officers retired who
should be in the service. We have one
of them at the present time on duty
in Connecticut national guard, who, 1t
appears, was retired for physical dis
ability He can eat more and drink
more and can get around, on horse
back or foot, as well as any officer
there is in the national guard, which
was proved by him at our encamp-
ment last summer; and ! want to add
here that we have lot of good, lively
officers in the national guard.
But may this be as it will, the
American people prefer militia to a
large standing army, and one or the
other we must have; and if it must be
the militia we should do all we can
to have a well trained and reliable
militia: and in order to get the men
voluntarily We must give them some
| inducement to come in. To give them
a. small compensation for the time and
work required of them would seem to
! be not only fair, but consistent.
1--WE are obliged to acquaint each
man with the duties required OF MIN
| before he enlists; also the laws and
regulations which will govern his acts
Just imagine the effect on prospective
when the captain informs him thai
he must attend at least one drill every
week, for which he will get no othel
compensation that the benefit he may
gain in militia training; but II h'
misses a drill sickness excepted) III
must pay a fine of 81. The younE
men Of today will hardly accept thi
as an inducement, and yet such ar
the conditions.
"The state of Connecticut has dom
whole lot more for her soldiers thai
MANY other states, and is doing
today: and now that the federal gov
eminent has taken hold and Is expect
ing much more of the officers and me!
than they have ever before, whicl
is no more than right and should hay
been done years ago, the general gov
eminent must also expect to stand
good share of the necessary expense.