Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-10-08
new WAR PLAN IS
HANDED A REBUFF
National Guard Association Dis.
approves Curtailing State
Department.
GARRISON is CRITICISED
Fight Opened at Meeting to Keep Con-
troll of Organized Militia in
Own Officers.

the National Guard association of the
United States, embracing representa-
tives from nearly every state in the
union, united yesterday in criticising
the attitude of the war department
toward the National Guard. The
meeting, at the Congress hotel, then
adopted a report requesting the de-
partment to rescind certain orders
recently issued.
The fight over adoption of the res
olutions was bitter. 1t was brought
to a head by a circular, amounting to
an order, from the department, in
effect taking the guard from state con-
troll, placing it in federal control and
supplying 1t, in times of service, with
regular army officers in the highest
and most important positions.
Ill-feeling, caused by this circular,
was augmented by a letter from Sec
rotary of War Garrison, in which he
stated that he had refused to per-
nit representatives of his Office to
attend the convention.
REPORT STARTS ARGUMENT.
A report in six sections was sub
mitted by the legislative committee
to the convention and all but one Sec
ton was adopted. although not with
out a struggle over portions of the
other section. The section which the
convention refused to sanction read:
THAT the division of military affairs
should be organized as a bureau of the
war department directly under the
secretary of war; the chief of this
bureau should be appointed by the
president from those commissioned
officers in the organized militia, FIVE
of the ten in command of troops. The
assistants in the bureau shall be ap-
pointed either from the regular army
or from the organized militia. This
section to take effect at the close of
the term of the present officers in
control of the division of military af-
fairs"
Major Joseph R. Harrison of In
diana led the opposition to this Sec
ton.
I'VE should have a trained soldier
at the head of the division of military
affairs" he declared. I'VE should
have a man who knows something
about military business to order the
National Guard. | would just as soon
have a student in a correspondence
school as a layman at the head of that
division"
+. YOUNG DEFENDS GUARDSMEN.
The declaration provoked warm re
49,. 141, ,,-I,,
ed to the term "layman" as applied to
National Guardsmen.
''If we cannot find an officer in the
National Guard" exclaimed General
Edward c. Young of Illinois, who is
capable of taking this charge we
should disband, tear off our shoulder
straps and go out of the war game
MEN of the National Guard have g
great knowledge of military affairs
because they devote a great deal OF
time to it, and this knowledge should
not be considered lightly"
The convention vote on the adoption
of this section was so close that q
division of the members was neces
, sary and it was finally determined rot
l to adopt the section. Other sections
/ of the adopted report contained the
i following recommendations:
J THAT the executive committee be
: instructed to prepare a bill and sub
! NIT it to congress providing for al
| lowances for members of the organ
, lied militia for service at home sta
t tons; this bill to include such fea
) lures only as are essential for this
: purpose and for securing the service
of such members to the United
States government in the event Of
, war or other grave emergencies, eth
, er within or without the boundaries
of the United States.
DOUBTS GARRIsON's AUTHORITY.
: 1T is the sense of this convention
that the government of the organized
: militia should rest in the states II
time of peace as provided for by the
constitution of the United States.
THAT existing laws for the organ
lied militia should be amended so a.
to define more clearly requirement.
for the various units of organization
in order to insure their greatest eff
cheney and development
That it is the sense OF this con
vention that there is not sufficien
authority in law for defining the or
ganization of the brigade and division
as set forth In circular s, war depart
0 ment, and that inasmuch as it ha
been physically impossible to form
these organizations in the Unite.
States army and as like conditions Il
many states make it also PHYSICAL,
|, impossible for these states TO compl,
y with the provisions of said circula
4 8, the convention directs the execu
tive committee to request the revoca
!. ton of the circular by the secretar
: of war
MORE MONEY NEEDED.
That in order to increase the nun
Der of field artillery. cavalry, eng
!, neers, signal corps and sanitary troop
8 it viii be necessary for the nations
government 10 make extra and specif
appropriation to cover the cost {
maintaining such troops"
lei Adoption of the section oputair
= ing the reference to circular 5 wa
=. productive OF much argument. Bri,
: adler General n ID Hamilton ~ ~,