Bisbee daily review., 1914-03-14
DOES GOVERNMENT PLAN TO REPUDIATE
 ARIZONA MILITIA?
NATIONAL GUARD DISTURBED BY RUMoR THAT WAR DEPART.
 MENT WILL WITHDRAW

GhOENlA, Mdrcn l3.-NeNer has there been so much uneasiness among the officers and men of the National Guard of Arizona as at present over persistent rumors that the war depart ment has refused to send to this state successor 10 Inspector-Instructor ! Lieut.. R. D. LaGarde and is planning to withdraw all government military | property from Arizona. Such action, of course, would mean the discontin. uance of the annual appropriation of federal military funds for the main. | tenance of the Arizona militia organ. ization.
 A full month before his service as nstructor-inspeceor with the N. c. A. was supposed to end, Lieut.. LeGarde was notified by the war department to report to the Ninth U. S. Infantry at Fort Logan. Arkansas. Le Garde has gone and no one has been appointed to take his place.
 LeGarde was ordered back to the regular army after he had made re- ports to the department reflecting up- on Adjutant General Charles w. liar ris. and after another regular army officer had been sent here to verify his reports.
 Even before Lieut.. LeGarde made his reports the relations of the adiu- tant general with the war department were often strained. Now. from all in- dications. they are more strained than ever
 Governor George Hunt is very re- luctant to discuss the controversy and declares that the national guardsmen have no need to be alarmed about the continuance of their organization. He says that he has requested the war department to appoint a certain officer as LeGarde's successor and is daily expecting a reply to his request. The Governor denies that the department has declined to. detail another line officer to duty with the N. c. A.
 One of LeGarde's reports to Wash ington criticised the state military storehouse, rented building at Sixth avenue and Washington street, Phoe- nix. LeGarde declared that the build. ing was unsafe, that there Is little to prevent the theft of two machine guns and other government military prop erty stored therein,
 The department communicated with Col. Harris in regard to the store house. He asked A. J. Moore, chief or police of Phoenix. whether he regarded the building as safe. and also what pro tection the police department could give it.
 Moore replied that he did not regard the building as a safe place for the storing of valuable supplied. He drew attention to the fact that the place has nothing except a glass front and rec commended that iron gratings beplaced behind the glass. In regard to protec' ton. Moore stated that as his force was small and the storehouse outside the business district his men could not watch 1t closely. 4r
 Early in January Lieut.. LeGarde called at Moore's office and asked him what he had written the adJutant gen. eral. Moore gave him a copy of the letter. Later LeGarde wrote Moore that a portion of the letter, hut not the whole, had been quoted in com munication from Harris to the depart ment. LeGarde asked Moore to write an explanation of how, he LeGarde' came to obtain the carbon copy. Moore complied with his request.
 LeGarde sent the copy, with Moore's explanation, to the war department. Immediately thereafter the Gover'1r was notified tat as long as Adjuia General Harris maintained his existing attitude toward the department, Le Garde would be withdrawn.
 Though the governor insists that there is no cause for alarm, the mem bers of the N. c. A. will not be con vinced that all Is well till another reg ular army officer is detailed to duty with this regiment. They argue that 1t is the governments policy to keep an officer or officers in each state to watch the equipment furnished the mil itia, and that if no one is sent to watch the equipment in Arizona 1t will be withdrawn.