Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1916-10-29

terests of the United states and the
lives of citizens must wait upon the
time when a call to arms can be am
swered without inconvenience TO the
individual?
LAS far as possible steps have been
taken to mitigate and relieve the I'M
usual ana exceptional hardships which
nave arisen i'm classes especially sub
ject TO distress 10y reason of the SER
vice demanded, Congress. as YOU
may remember, appropriated $4,000
coo for the care OF such families as
needed assistance, and this money
has been used to meet every honest
application.
Hopes for Restoration of Order.
With all my heart / hope for such
restoration of order and security ON
the Mexican frontier as will permit
the speedy return of our citizen sol
diers to civilian pursuits but the fact
stands clear that the safety Of our
border and the preservation and pro-
lection OF American lives is the pri-
mary consideration
Even SO, we have exercised the
largest sympathy, for over 1000 dis
charges from the national guard have
been authorized to date over 5000
heads of families have been released,
and $500 yere discharged upon show
ing Of physical disabilities that were
calculated to make continued camp
life dangerous to them. Ia addition,
over 10000 men have been mustered
out of the federal service and return
ed to their homes.
There is this for the people of
the United States to consider" Mr.
Baker continued. The governments
reliance upon the organized militia
r~hc~~UrrSrs S~-te~is neither ~~d~s =
nor is it unsolicited In 1903, when
the republicans finally decided to
attack the Deficiencies in our military
system that the war with Spain had
made evident in 1898, the national
guard made strenuous claim that its
weakness was due to lack of money,
rather than lack of patriotism. As
a consequence, the Dick bill was pass
ed, under which law the federal gov
eminent spent over S66, geo, 900 upon
the state troops In a decade.
Demand Backed by Public Sentiment.
Again, in 1916, when the question
of nome defense reorganization was
before congress, the national guard
demanded that it be continued as the
secondary reliance Of the government,
do not think there is any doubt that
this demand was backed up by public
sentiment The people of the United
States are unalterably opposed to a
large standing army and equally an
tagonistic to the idea Of compulsory
military service after the German
model Aided by these deep-rooted
prejudices, and also by tn fact that
our need was immediate, congress
passed the Hay bill, certain provisions
of which gave national guardsmen
pay for armory as well as field train
ing.
THE very people who are now
most solicitous about the state troops,
most agitated by their sad lot, were
those most bitter in their denuncia-
ton of the national guard during the
tendency Of the Hay bill. The ad-
ministration was attacked savagely
! tor daring to continue reliance upon
! a broken reed, and critics filled the
press with instances of the utter in
| efficiency and futility of the organ
| lied militia.
should Admire Spirit.
whatever may be thought of the
national guard as a base for the ma
tional defense" he continued empha-
ucally, there should be nothing but
admiration for the spirit with which
! its members have met the call and
with which they are performing an
! important and necessary service tC
| their country at this time
ut is charged that the state troops
| are being kept at the border for mere
purposes of drill and training"'
THAT is false Their presence al
the Mexican frontier is, and has beer
imperative. 1t is true, however, thaa'
we have taken every possible ad'
vantage of this necessity. Before en-
tering the federal service, the nationa
guard had a paper strength of abou
| i24,OO0. Today is has a real strength
of about 10000. When the emer'
gency disappears, every man will have
| seen service at the border, and th'
country will be possessed of l5O,0O'
! fit trained defenders, ready for any
call. 1t is indeed strange that after
all the attack upon the guards unfit
ness there should now be criticism Of
q plan that has made for fitness"
!