Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-07-01
WAR DEPARTMENT UNJUST
Military Board Agrees With Governor
Biease

WAR DEPARTMENT UNJUST
Military Board Agrees With Governor
Blease.
AS the result of conference be-
tween General Wylie Jones and Colo
nels Lewis, Lipscomb and Cogswell,
commanding the three regiments Of
the South Carolina national guard,
held in Columbia last Saturday, there
was full endorsement Of the refusal of
Governor Blease to muster out eleven
companies of the South Carolina ma
tional guard, in accordance with or
ders from the war department.
In carefully prepared statement,
the officers review the whole situation.
and among other things say:
circumstances existing and the CORE
spondence so far made known to US,
that the governor, as commander-in-
chief of the National Guard Of South
Carolina, acted in the best interests Of
the militia of the state in refusing per-
emptorily to muster out these compa-
niess without giving sthem another op-
portunity to qualify. The Dick law Is
the law of our state and we feel, as
officers of the National Guard, that
we should Loyalty obey 1t until 1t
ceases to be the law, and that we
should perform our official duties and
promote the interests Of the state
militia in spirit Of loyalty to the law.
But we do not understand that the ac-
tion of the commander-in-chief was
at all Influenced by his own personal
views as to the merits Of the law, but
that he was actuated and prompted by
an endeavor to act for the best inter-
ests Of the militia Of the state, and
therefore declined to carry into effect
the peremptory suggestion that these
companies without further opportunity
to attempt to comply with the law, be
mustered out Of service and thus
sweep away one-third of our entire
body Of national guards.
Fourth. AS we understand, the ma
tional government has made an APP
preparation Of so much money for the
state militia of which the citizens of
the state Of South Carolina are COM
pelled to contribute their part We do
not understand with what sense of
Justice, the money of the people of the
state Of South Carolina, which they
have contributed for this purpose, can
be SO heavily withdrawn from her citi-
zen militia who have in every respect
complied with the law, whatever may
be the question as to the other conpa-
nies involved AS officers Of the mill.
tia who have devoted our time, at much
sacrifice to maintain and uphold the
militia Of our state, and to perform
such duties as are encumbent upon us,
we think that an earnest effort should
be made by our representatives in con-
gress to see that such injustice Is not
DONE"
| According to the officers, the alleged
shortcomings Of the eleven companies
in question, are not due so much to in
difference as to the fact that inspec-
| tions had come on at time when the
rank and file of the companies found
1t impracticable to neglect their ordi-
nary business Of making living to
give the necessary time and effort to
making showing at inspections. 5
Governor Blease gave out further
statement in which he said that an
additional reason why he refused to
muster out the companies In question
was that all Of them were In the black
belt where there Is more constant need
Of armed military forces. He went on
to re-iterate his opinion of the Dick
law; but took occasion to say that II
the war department would give the
eleven companies three months in
which to prepare for inspections. and
the companies were unable to pass
creditable inspections at the end Of
that time he would be willing to mus
ter them all out. In this connection his
excellency took occasion to remark the
injustice and unreasonableness Of ex-
pecting volunteers to come up to the
standards of the regular army COM
posed of men who were paid to devote
their whole time and attention to
studying and practicing soldiership.
Another thing" says Governor
Blease in his signed statement ut has
been said that II the United States
government musters these companies
out, what a great hardship 1t would be
to throw these old companies out of
service; yet the adjutant general is
asking me to muster out the Richland
Volunteers, Of Columbia, and the Irish
Volunteers of Charleston-the very
Oldest of these companies. The Rich
land Volunteers will celebrate its one
hundredth anniversary on August !.
Now, IL 1t Is such hardship for the
United States government to muster
out these old companies why Is 1t that
the adjutant general Is asking me to
muster them out? The man who wrote
that editorial evidently wrote behind
bottle Of corn liquor or through ignor-
ance."
The governor says he is ratirled
that his friends will stand by linn in
the whole matter, and he declares that
II the worst comes to the worst, the
state will endeavor to arm and equip
its soldiers at its own expense, and at
whatever cost.