Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1911-06-01
MEMBERS AND INTEREST
DECREASING IN C. N. G.
Inspector General SchuIze Says the
Dick Bill Caused It-No Inducement,
But Hard Work, for the Men.

An intimate and close view of the
National Guard is presented in a let
ter written to Major John @. Tilson,
representative at large from Connecti-
cut, by Colonel Edward Schulze. in
spector general, c. n. G.. says the New
Haven Times Leader Colonel Schulze
predicts that it will be necessary for
the federal government to provide some
, relief IL the National Guard is to be
preserved.
Every National Guard officer says
Col, Schulze, mo matter from what
state will tell you that since the pas
sage and enforcement of the Dick bill
and since actual work is expected of
the militia, the membership has de-
creased and majority of company
commanders have hard work to keep
their organizations up to a minimum
This may sound strange, but it is moth
Ing 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 inducement
| 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 men is
patriotism, which, strange as it may
seem, is possessed by very few men in
to come to most men until the day
when war is declared when they all
get full of 1t to the neck but too late
AS matters stand today in the mill
tia there is not man, from the high
est officer to the private who is not
out of pocket financially by the mere
reason of his membership in the mill
tia.
Now, as to army officers needed for
Instructors in the militia, / want to
a 6oI y
but let us have the militia first. No
community would ever thing OF hiring
a. 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 reg
ular army officers retired who should
be in the service. We have one of them
at the present time on duty in Con-
nectieut National Guard, who, it ap-
pears, was retired for physical disabil-
1ty He can eat more and drink more
and can get around, on horseback or
| foot, as well as any officer there is in
| the National Guard, which was proved
| by him at our encampment last sum-
mer; and | want to add here that we
| have lot of good. lively officers in the
| National Guard.
But may this be as ii will, the
American people prefer militia to a
large standing army, and one or tho
other. We must have; and as it must
| De Tile InllItId we SHOULD 90 all We can
| to have a we'll 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 compensa ton for the time ana
work required of them would seem tc
| be not only fair, but consistent.
| I'VE are Obliged to acquaint each
man with the duties required of him
4 before he enlists; also the laws and
regulations which will govern his acts
| just imagine the effect on a prespec-
tive when the 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 training; but if he
misses a drill sickness excepted) he
must pay a fine of 81. The young men
| of today will hardly accept this as an
| inducement, and yet such are the con-
| ditions.
The state of Connecticut has done
whole lot more for her soldiers than
many other states, and is doing it to-
| day; and now that the federal govern
ment has taken hold and is expecting
much more of the officers and men than
| they have ever before, which is no more
than right and should have been done