Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-19
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BY MES 3 NEVIN.

bill will pass Congress, perhaps dur
| ing the present session, providing for
pay for the various State militia or
CARNATIONS qualifying for services
under the Dick law, which is being
gradually expanded to bring the mi
litia In closer touch with the regular
army.
Whenever the state militia agrees
10 accept pay from the national Gov
eminent, however, enlistments will be
much more serious matter than
now II likely will mean that the
soldier enlisting will agree for imme
date service upon call Of the Presi-
dent for either foreign or domestic
purposes.
AS matter of fact. and this IS
frankly admitted in the War De-
partment In Washington. the entire
purpose Of the Dick law is to bring
the regular army and the state mill
tia into such close and intimate rela
lions that eventually there will be
practically no difference between the
two In this way the regular army
would be, in effect. enlarged to more
than twice its present size. and stun
hold to a sort of subdivision by
States.
There Is some difference of opinion
among military men ar to the de-
STABILITY or advisability OF state
troops qualifying too far under the
Dick law, and only four or Ave States
to date actually have qualified. I'm
doubtedly, the funds furnished by the
national Government to the States
that do come in under the law help
nightly in keeping the State organ
izations together, but every new aid
offered carries with it some surrender
OF State control over the State troops.
The Georgia State troops are splen-
didly organized and especially efficient
at this time Whether they ever Will
qualify unreservedly under the Dick
law is problematical, however.
The matter will not be decided
finally, perhaps, until the pending
amendments to that law have been
acted upon by the Congress OF the
United States.
81 have read with melancholy
pleasure the many kind and true
things the press of Georgia has had
to say of late, both just before and
after the death of Colonel Charles
r. Pendleton, concerning that splen-
did and remarkable man. He was de-
serving of all the praise heaped up
on him.
Il happen to know, too, that when
| Senator Clay died, the then Cover
nor, Joseph NJ. Brown. did, as has
been said have in mind very seri-
oasly the question of Offering to
| Colonel Pendleton the vacant Sena-
| torship. | think the Governor had
| his serious doubts that the MacoT
editor would accept the honor If ten
dered, but that was not the thing
that finally decided him to offer il
to his other dear and unselfish friend
Joseph NJ. Terrell.
THE thing that determined Gov
| ernor Brown in this matter was the
fact that the surviving Senator
| Augustus Bacon. lived in Macon
and he thought it likely 1t would b,
"A mistake to give one and the same
city the two Senators. Had it no
been for the fact that Pendleton LIVED
in Macon, he might have had thu
| Senatorship rendered him, even haC
he turned it down.
These are the facts of the cas-,
as | recall them. and they are in
teresting, if not. of course, tremen.
dously important
To day is being observed in a way
as a legal holiday at the Capitol No
| all of the departments are shut W
| tight, as is the case on Christina!
| and the Fourth OF July, but none o
| them are open in the full sense tina
applies usually.
Lees birthday was made a lega
| holiday in Georgia good many year.
ago, and it generally is observed b!
all of the banks. and partially oh
served, anyway, by the various Stat,
| institutions.
Jefferson Davis birthday also is
legal holiday in Georgia.