Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1915-09-20
A PLEA FOR MILITIA
ANDHS PUBLIC INTEREST
What is Causing a Lack Of Interest
in the Militia is Not a Lack Of
Patriotism.
TRAINING THE COMMON NEED.
The Keystone Of the Arch of Inter
national Relations TO Pre-
serve Our Peace" Let Us Pre-
pare Ourselves for War,
by r Hammond Elliott
PART
PART l


At the present time, when the tre-
mendous conflict which is raging
across the seas is occupying an import
ant place in the minds of the entire
civilized world and all over the coun-
try, the people and papers are discuss
ing our military needs and foretelling
the dire results which may befall US ii
we continue to neglect them; coupled
with the fact that the heads of our own
government. awakened by the events
and conclusions drawn from the OBJ
servance of the hitherto unprecedented
display of the military and naval pow
ers and methods Of the contending ma
tions. are giving their serious atten-
ton the questions of our own defens-
es and needs; would it not be appro-
priat and far more practical if these
same people and papers would trans
mute some of this talk into energetic
action and turn their attention TO the
military needs of their own localities
and see what they could do towards
netting and rectifying the same?
It seems as il we all. in urging for a
navy for the country. are losing sight
of the fact that il we develop in our
own communities an adequate and well
trained body of soldiers or sailors ac-
cording 10 the size and location of the
community, we are doing all that lies
IN our power to accomplish and are
taking a practical step towards fur
thering the general plan of increasing
the national defense all over the coun-
try.
This brings us to the organized mill
tia, or Governors Guards" as they
We're at one time called For years
these organizations have been looked
upon by some people as "tin soldiers,
Git only for parades or pageants and
useful to intimidate mobs and to assist
the police hold fire-lines. etc, but of late
years this impression is passing. for
the militia, now that the government
realizing the Importance of it, has ta-
ken il i'm hand and is giving it thor
ough AMI systematic training. stands
very high in efficiency, and on special
occasions. such as shooting competi-
tions. has even surpassed the stand
ard set by the regular army. You will
find organizations OF the militia in
practically every town or city OF any
size I'm the country, but YOU will find
that they are generally poorly support
ed by the community in which they eX-
ist and are, for the most part, com
posed of young patriotic citizens who
aA nj "a
securing military training and are Civ
ing their time and themselves to it.
II is a lamentable fact but q true one
that the people Of these same communi-
ties take more interest in and give
more support to the social and sporting
affairs of the town, such as baseball
cards. dances and the like. than they do
to the militia. which is by far the most
serious and practical organization
among them. and the one which would
give them the greatest service in case
of war or riot or any other emergency
or disturbance to which municipal
ity is liable The average percentage
OF men enlisted as compared with those
available is approximately per cent
Just lWu AlUAtlEn HOAulCiS OuI VI ever y
hundred male citizens of the town
With this fact in mind. suppose volun-
teers were called for, a town having
1000 men who would meet the require
ments would probably put 1000 men
IN the field, and Of these only between
% and 60 would have had any previous
training, hardly enough to properly
officer those who had volunteered
In the face of this, does not the oft
repeated boast that, if necessary, the
United States could put one million
armed men in the field in twenty-four
hours appears to be a groundless plat
itude? One million armed men? Yes
men with the spirit, the will, and the
courage to do but when who, with the
exception of possibly 20 per cent are
hopedessly ignorant of the rudimenta-
ry ideas of military training, and the
maner in which to effectively use the
very rifles with which they are armed
How would this force compare with
any of the great European wra ma
chimes?
(Continued)