The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1911-06-16
URGES FEDERAL PAY
Connecticut Colonel Tells Facts
About Militia Needs,
PAY

AOOut Mllltld Nee0S.
A Washington, d. G., dispatch
says:--An Intimate af d close view OF
the National Guard Is presented 10 q
letter written to Major John @. Til.
son, representative ut large from
Connecticut, by Col. Edward Schulze,
Inspector general, G. N. G. Col.
Schulze predicts that IL will be neces.
sary for the federal government to
provide some relief IL the national
guard is to be preserved.
EVERY national guard oiiicer." says
Col. Schulze, "no matter from what
state, will tell you that since the
passage and enforcement Of the Dick
bill, and since actual work Is expected
OF the militia, the membership has
decreased and a majority OF company
commanders have hard work to keep
their organizati0ns up to
minimum. This may sound strange,
but IL is nothing more than a 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 ask..d TO come IN
they want to Know what induceMcnt
there Is for them ~ juin. Then you
might talk palro,i>m military edu-
cation, or anything yt,u u,ay think Of
but the last thing of all to induce
them Is patriotism, which. strange az
II 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 the war Is de-
clared, when they all yet full
Of 1t 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 10 the
militia.
"NOw, as to army officers needed
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 hiring a lot Of school teach
ers until they had the children to le
taught.
"But may this be as IL will, the
American people prefer militia TO
a large standing army. aud one or
the other we must have; and as II
must be the militia we should do all
we can to have well trained aud
reliable militia; and In order to get
the men voluntarily We must give
them some inducement 10 come Ia.
TO give them small compensation
for the time and work required Of
them would seem to be not only fair,
but consistent.
| We dtC ODIlScu W uSuudiuU cuSu
man with the duties required of him
before he enlists; also the laws and
regulations which will govern his
acts. Just imagine the effect on a
prospective when tn. captain informs
him that he must attend at least one
, drill every week. for which he will
get no other compensation than the
, benefit he may gain IN military train
ing; but II he misses drill (slckne>s
exceptedD he must pay hne of ST.
The young man of today will hardl,
: accept this as an inducement, aud
yet such are the conditions.
S 1.-THE state OF Connecticut has done
a whole lot more for her soldiers thar
4 many other states, and Is doing u
r today; aud now that the fedora
government has taken hold and i
expecting much more Of the Ofticer'
and men than they have ever before
which is no more ih,n right ant
should have been done years ago. tn
y general government must also expec
e to stand a good share OF the nec ssar.
= expenses"