The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1913-05-14


is to obey orders. This report If the
Adjutant General is to the effect that
your company has not so done. and it
would be serious reflection upon
you to muster you out for this reason,
for it would be n stigma placed upon
you as soldiers to say that you have
not performed your duty and have not
come up to the requirements.
And | feel that to muster you out of
the service would not only be retlec-
ton upon YOU but to muster out as
many as the Adjutant General recon-
mends would cause us the loss of
higher officers. We have only three
colonels. Their terms of office in
militia have been long and they have
done valuable and efficient service,
and it would certainly be Il hardship
upon them to say, "One of you must
go; choose for yourselves which one
it shall be"-not for and neglect OF
duty on their part but because of the
neglect of duty those under them.
And | cannot thus reflect upon one
of our colonels until | have begged
you gentlemen to do your part. You
are volunteer soldiers and none should
expect Of you that devotion to SER
vice and regular attendance which is
given by paid men but we do expect
you to come up to the requirements
laid down for you in the future. II
nj
should be shown to our volunteer
troops and that our Legislature should
give them greater encouragement
and do more for them. / have so
stated and have hoped that the Leg
islature would so do. l am free to
confess that the Legislature has not
done as much for you as it should
have done. We need good first-class
military organizations at every county
seat in our State, where a company
could always be ready to go forward
at moments warning to protect the
property and lives of our citizens
and particularly to protect our wo-
manhood, from the assaults of those
who would destroy and tear down.
In addition to this, we should have
first-class militia, to be ready at
all times in case Of the United States
I having war with any other nation
so that we would be prepared to go
forward and do our part in upholding
our National Government and carry
ing out her policies and defending
her honor. There are other reasons
why we should have strong militia,
which | need not take your time to
rehash for you know them all.
In decling to comply with the Adju-
tant Generals recommendation, |
| realize, as you do that | am not car
rying out strickly the letter of the
law, but ] am taking this course be-
cause of my friendship and love for
the boys who are upholding the vol
unteer militia of this State, and.
while | am free to say that | am doing
my full duty, | plead in eXtenuation
, OF this fact that | stod upon the floor
OF the Senate and fought this Dick
law as hard and as bitterly as any
man ever fought any law believed
then that we are making fearful
mistake in placing these rigid regu-
| lations upon our volunteer BOYS, and
believe now that it would have been
better if this bill had been defeated
and feel that. by tie action which
is now being taken by the Adiutant
General and the action which has
been taken by him for tnc last few
yearS--asking that The companies be
mustered out, Court-martials being
and other actions which speaks loud
er than words-that my position on
the floor of the Senate has been fully
sustained, and that we would have
been in better condition had we re-
NAMED as we were. However. that is
past, and we must now meet the con-
ditions which no exist, and | beg of
you to show TO the world that was
justified in decling Gen Moores recon-
mendation by getting your men togeth-
er, reading this letter to them. doing
all that is necessary to come up to
the requirements. And let us all get
together and join hands for a stronger
and better militia,
Very respectfully,
Cole l.. Blease,
Governor and Commander Chief.