The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-17

them appeared to be my harmless
vanity.
believe. moreover. that as the du-
ties are made more arduous and more
serious the militia steadily improves,
although II becomes harder and harder
to MI its ranks. On the other hand, do
not believe that over two-thirds OF our
militia would inaterialize in war time.
and | do not think that dependence
could be placed upon them until months
OF severe training and a wedding out
process had hardened them into mill
tary shape
| cannot forget that no less than six
teen States OF the Union fell short by
greater or less numbers of furnishing
their quotas of troops during the Span
ish war. / cannot forget that after
the first burst OF enthusiasm was over
cities and towns offered bounties in
order to I'LL their quotas OF troops in
the ciI',, var. cannot forget that tho
national Government later on gave
. large sum of money to each veteran
who would reenlist. nor that both the
North and the South We're eventually
obliged to resort to the hateful neces-
sity Of compelling men to join the
army against their will All those
AlllllEH AZ lAbllt AAlf itFN Aa'AS p'Nhh'N
they are unpopular facts and because
II is the fashion to blink them.
Neither can l shut my eyes to the
report Of the Chief OF Staff on the
record OF the militia for the year ended
June 80. 1914. Out OF 10000 militia
men all told $4,000 failed TO present
themselves for the annual inspection,
81 900 absented themselves from the
/ annual encampment and $4,000 never
appeared on the rife range from one
years end to the other.
The President says that we have al
ways found means to defend ourselves
against attack bat the President Is
quite mistaken I'VE shall take leave
| to be strong upon the seas in the fu-
ture as in the past" says he in his
annual message 10 Congress. That was
| the very same position which President
Madison took at the time OF the war
OF 1912. We shall take leave" quoth
Madison, and take leave he certainly
! did, bag and baggage, militia. states
men, clerks, lobbyists. julep mixers and
all. Down into Virginia he went, leav-
! ing the Capitol and the White House
! to be burned by the victorious British.
/ Poor Dolly Madison. She saw It all
and she wrote her sister Anna these
bitter lines: ALAS, | can descry only
groups OF military, wandering in all
directions, as II there was a lack of
arms or OF spirit to fight for their own
firesde" But there was no lack OF
spirit in those militiamen from Mary
land and Pennsylvania and Virginia. Far
from It, They had spirit enough and
arms enough 10 defend their own fire.
sides; hut they did not know how to
do II. because they had not been moulded
into an army. They were but a moi
of citizenry under arms.
The sad part OF It all was that they
had had two years in which to pre-
pare, for these events did not occur I'll
the summer OF 1914 But the Admins,
tration of that day fostered the BELIEF
that the country had been misinformet
and that the Government had not beer
negligent OF the national defence
Hence II was that these poor militia
men were not ready when the day o.
trial came
maddened nation roared for sac
riflce. and sacrifice was vouchsafe'
unto them. Armstrong. the Secretar!
OF War, was made the scapegoat jus
as Alger was made the scapegoat to
our unreadiness TO fight Spain and JUS
as Garrison would be made the scape
got tomorrow II we were to attemp
unsuccessfully to put large force o
men into the field. But the removal o
|, Armstrong did not erase an exceed
ingly distressing passage from this ma
tons history. That disastrous stor,
harnesses us to-day as II harnssed on
fathers before us. II will fulfil a use
full purpose, perhaps, IL 1t serves us a!
a bitter warning against being UMPIRE
pared
on the coast OF beautiful Count.
Down in ireland stands the pictur
esque town OF Resstrevor. For all 1t
picturssquesness, shall never visl
that town and ! shall never see tn
granite shaft which dominates its mar
| ket place. That graceful monumen
was erected to the memory of Ger
! Robert Ross, who burned the Capitol a
/ Washington. and its cost was defraye
b. the officers Of the Chesapeak
force. 1 do not care to SEQ II.