The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-06-18
TESTS STANDING
OF STATE MILITIA
Officers Want Showdown OF
Employers Who Discourage
Camp Duty.
PROSECUTIONS MAY RESULT
New Law to Be Invoked to
Punish Interference With
Citizen Soldiery.

For the purpose Of settling. sum-
ciently far in advance. the question
as to whether or not taerc will he
trouble this year in recurring leave OF
absence OF members of the militia
to attend the encampment at Mt.
Gretna. Pa. le3ars of inquiry are
being sent out to various corporations.
So far. the responses have been en-
tirely friendly. and have proved graf
flying TO the military authorities
The Richmond, fredericksburg and
Potomac Railroad. the Norfolk and
Western Railway and the Richmond
Cedar Works have sent replies to a
letter of Adjutant-General W. w sale,
unreservedly promising to give their
employees time to attend encampments
or any other military duty en- which
they may be ordered. Each OF these
three corporations acknowledges the
necessity of military establishment.
and expresses hearty cooperation
with the State in the efforts to build
IL UP and make it efficient in times
of need. To this end. the companies
want their men to set all available
training.
Await Other Eepres.
Letters sent TO the Chesapeake ana
Ohio Railway. the Richmond Locomo-
tive Works. the Southern Railway ana
answered.
To further aid In the work Of bring
Ing about better Understanding, the
captains OF tho First Battalion, First
regiment. have been directed Dy MAJOR
l. /. Price 10 confer with their men re-
garding the method OF approach for
leaves OF absence. based on the re-
sponses received from employers. 40
that there may be no friction and no
liz IN, ~,
no man in the battalion may be pre-
vented from doing duty at the Joint
manoeuvre camp of next month because
OF refusal on the part OF Ma employer
TO give him leave.
May Try Prosecution.
should. however. there be such re-
tusal, II IS quite probable that the mat
ter Will be tested in the courts A sec.
ZION OF the new military law. as passed
by the last Legislature. may or may not
q pp!y 70 such situation. and may be
invoked so as to bring about a prose
cutlon OF an employer who depr!ves men
OF their positions because OF their mem
oership In the Virginia Volunteers.
There is some doubt OF the direct
application OF this section. which went
into effect last Friday. 1t seems to DO
not quite plain. Some officers believe
that 1t bears on the subject while 9TH
ers say that while 1t might do SO. It
was perhaps not SO intended. II reads
tsection S55-a OF the act providing for
the public deftnEe) as follows
Interference with employment of
officers and enlisted men of the Virginia
Nolunteers.-A person who. either by
himself or with another. wilfully de-
prives member OF the Virginia Vol
unteers OF his employment or prevents
by himself or another. such member be-
ms employed, or obstructs or annoys
G. Il At,,h b. ~
or mis- employer in his trade. business
or employment because said member OF
said Virginia Volunteers liz such MEM
Der. or dissuades any person from ell
iisiment in said Virginia Volunteers by
threat or Injury to him in his employ
ment. trade or business. In case he shall
20 enlist, shall be guilty OF Il misde-
meanor, and on conviction thereof shall
be nned In sum not exceeding SiU0 or
Imprisonment in the county Jail not
more than thirty days. or shall suffer
both fine and imprisonment"
The subject OF conflict between mil
itary duty and the immediate interests
OF employers is an old one In this
State. Courtmartials in recent years
have brought out statements on the
part of enlisted men that their employ
ers refused to let them of for camp
duty and that they were afraid to go
for fear OF losing their positions. Trou-
BILE In enforcing the lay woipd. of
course. be the difficulty OF proving that
the discharge was because OF military
engagements. An employer may easily
assign other reasons. But some off,
GERS are talking of forcing their men,
under arrest. TO go to camp this year,
regardless OF the wishes Of the!v en-
ployers. to make a test of the situa-
tion once and for all.