Arizona republican., 1915-02-26
GUARD AND BAND AT EXPOSITION

Two companies of the National Guard and the state Dand will prob ably be sent to the International Mili- tary tournament at the Panama Pa cific exposition. This tournament is to be held under regular army off fers detailed to take charge of that department. All of the states will be represented. New York state is send
 ing two regiments and Kansas one regiment. California has appropri- ated $60,000 for her troops to take part as well as appropriating funds for cadet organizations to take part. There will be rifle matches during the tournament and Arizona is ex- kpected to give good account of her self as she has one of the best rifle teams in the United States. The rec ord of the team this year has never been equalled by any team from any of the smaller states. the Arizona team shooting in "A" class in the National 1 matches while it is only "C" class
 team. This year it won the National divisional matches at Fort Riley and out of the total matches at Fort Riley lost only two
 Director F. II. Redewill of the state
 band. said yesterday:
 The officers and men of the Ma 1 tional Guard of Arizona have worked increasingly to make this one of the best guard regiments of the country without any compensation for the time | they have OiNnn for IriI nd practice. without armories and in fact
 under the heaviest Encouragement and
 lack of appreciation. They deserve
 encouragement and support The com
 panies to attend this tournament will
 be selected by competition and will be
 picked men. They will represent every | company in the state. They will be
 at san Francisco on Arizona day and
 the other days allotted to the cities of
 this state to take part in the cere-
 monies.
 At present Arizona has not the
 number of men required to be en-
 listed by the war department to com
 plete our organization through the
 lack of support of those who should
 be interested in maintaining the or
 ganization.
 As for the band. nothing so at tracts attention or advertises q state as band of the kind that belongs
 to the First Regiment Visitors at
 the fair and to the coast will re-
 member the hands that they hear
 much longer than they will the ex- h1bits. Arizona can not be better rep
 resented at the fair than by these
 companies of her National Guard and by the first infantry band The prin- cipal cause of the lack of apprecia
 tion of the board is a lack of know ledge of the work it is performing. the
 amount of training it is undergoing
 and general ignorance of it's work land equipment. What is every bodies
 business is nobodies business. particu- ! larly applies to the National Guard Every one expects that in time oi
 trouble the guard will do it's duty and
 no one seems to care or inquire what , are the requirements for an efficient
 organization, what are the needs. what training is needed
 The guard is everybodies business ? so nobody pays any attention to il until 1t is needed and immediatel,
 everyone is interested in its organi-
 zation and efficiency. ready to con.
 demn if it cannot meet the duties i'm. posed upon it. in spite of the fac p that their own neglect is probably on, l or the causes of deficiency.
 Millions for defense and not on,
 cent will be needed for tribute. This nation stands today, the richest ma
 tion in the world and the one leas prepared to defend those riches Wal is legaliZed robbery. The millions lev.
 jed in all Belgium since the war com. mneced could be levied in New Yorl city in ones day. All the lnsura nc, | this country carries on it's prosperity i standing army of about 100 900 mci
 and the supposed army of 400. OOi guardsmen today actually number. | only 125,000 men because of the lacl Of cncoura cement the lack of appre '' citation and the penurious policy of on state and National governments tha are willing to pay billions in pensions n and to sacrifice hundreds of thousand | of untrained men rather than face tn lfacts and spend a few million ol y training