Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1914-01-22
STATE MILITIA MUST
MEET STANDARDS SET
FOR REGULAR TROOPS
But Few Guard Organizations
Able to Meet Requirements
of War Department.

Washington. Special: a clean Issue
has been mace between che war de-
! partrnent and the National Guard as
ISOLATION of the United States on the
point of organization of the militia
forces OF TIE country. BY direction of
secretary Garrison. Major General
Wood, as chief of staff of the army,
has issued a circular No. i3--an-
nounctng the decision of Judge Advo-
cate General Cruwder that the militia
must conform in organization to the
standards of the regular army else
they VIII be deprived OF all federal
financial support
This decision Is OF the greatest i'm
portance to the militia as well as to
the government because few IL any OF
tire state national guard ORGANIZATIONS
are nov able to meet the require
iaents and il the government is 10 be
able to make use of the militia in an
emergency. there must be u sweeping
change il the state organizations or a
radical modification Of the existing
militia laws
Where Militia Fails.
When the Dick militia act became ef-
fectivc IN sos a period OF five years
was allowed within which the militia
OF the stateS "as tn reCrsaniIe to con-
form 10 regular army standards. In
most states excellent results We're Sc
cured IN the improved training OF the
tnilltia,nen mi the better equipment Of
the guards l;iIt one important re-
qniremcnt WIS ignored because irnme-
diate compliance with 1t vas not in
sisted on by the war department That
was that the state militia should he or
ganiIed into hrisades and divisions
The brigade was To lie commanded
by q bri.a.ier general and the division
by !, ln:tjpi general. and when the war
department last August issued eircl!lar
No. 8. requiring The militia o:@&niza
tions to conform to the above require
rlcgt. 1t developed the fact tina. there
was q great surpIsa-ge of high rank
ing officers in the Nriii,ia and that
major generals were cGinsnandint. mere
brisadcs, and brigadier generals simple
regiments.
Must Reduce Stats
enforcement of the circular would
require many OF these officers to lose
their high rank unless they wore able
to recruit the rank and files sufficiently
To fill up the gaps III the organizations.
The National Guard association has
fatty refused to comply with this re
quirement on the ground tag there Is
not sufficient authority in law for de-
fninE the organization OF tho brigades
and the divisions and that "inasmuch
as 1t has been physically impossible to
secure these organizations In tho
Cnitei States army. and az like con-
cit!ohs III many stnte.s maize II ALSO
physically impossible for these states
to comply with the provisions; Q. the
circular. the secretary of war wax
requested to revoke the circular
Judge Advocate General Crowder
ruling Gu the legal point raised by the
association, fully sustains the right of
the WAY department to issue the cir
cular and points out that the secre-
,ary of War himself had no longer am
shorty to siispeni the application OF
this Requirement, Secretary Garrison
has adopted this view In publishing the
opinion.
Tie decision concludes that the state
ahtliorit!es would he Warranted in mus
tsriae ont either . major general or
q Afisnaier general and their stafr II
tbst ~ without the necessary num-
"cr ~ faen to COMPOSE Il division or
l.I-la ..LA..