Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-12-14

tia?' was the question put to Gen. Mills
one afternoon In his office after the
throng OF employees was pouring out into
Pennsylvania avenue from the group of
government buildings Whereabouts.
las viewed from the standpo. mt of the
national government, We have an Or
ganiZed militia to take part with the
army as the first line of defense in case
of any national emergency" replied the
general.
To maintain ourselves" he continued
until the great mass of volunteers
which is certain to be needed to carry
on any war with a foreign power can
be enlisted, organized, equipped and
trained.
The organized militia is to be dis
tnguished from the unorganized militia
The latter embraces the manhood of the
country. Since 1892 every male citizen
of the United States between the ages OF
eighteen and forty-five, who is physically
sound, has been a member Of the UNI
organized militia.
.'The militia law of 1892 is particularly
interesting because II made compu sorry
the enlistment and performance of mill
tary duty on the part of every alb e
bodied male citizen between the ages of
eighteen and forty-five and it requ red
all such, at their own expense. to be
supplied with muskets, ammunition and
equipment.
In other words. compulsory military
service was the law of the land from
1852 down to the enactment of the new
mil tia law of 1903. But it was a law
which fell into disuse largely because
the federal government failed to legis-
late and to make the necessary appro-
priations to give il effect. The new mill
ia law of 1908, while specifying that the
manhood of the country IS the inorganic
ed militia, refrained from making mill
tary service compulsory.
1T is estimated that there are. ac-
cord ng to the last census, more than
1900 900 male citizens OF the United
States between the ages of eighteen and
forty-five. How many Of them are At
for service, of course. no one can tell
The organized mi includes the Ma
tionaI Guards of the several states. Its
reported strength is 10000. The law OF
1903 makes this a more formidable arm
than its prototype ever was before The
War Department recognizes il as a po-
tent force which. with proper support by
Congress, can be made a real national
military asset. Only those elements of
tn National Guard which participate in
the federal appropriations and conform
in organization, armament and equip
ment with what is prescribed for the
regular army are recognized by the War
Department as part of the organized
militia This takes in, however, almost
all the so-called National Guard organi-
cations in the country.
1.-The policy of the War Department is
to make the organized militia an efficient
force for national military purposes. The
department is without authority to In
crease the strength of the organized mi
litia. ii being within the province of each
state, under the Constitution, to deter
mine what sized force it shall have. The
purpose of the department is to seek to
make effective the intention Of Congress,
as expressed in existing laws, and assist
the states in so organizing. arning, equip
ping and training their National Guards
that these independent forces when need
Continued On Fifth Page.)