Omaha daily bee., 1916-12-06
The Boys ON the Border



trick on the National Guard. That trick, as many
people know, is usually worked by woman who
has baby to get rid of, and is too tender or
too timid to leave it on doorstep. SO she rushes
up to man waiting tor train and says: On
sir, please hold my baby for few minutes while
| run and find my other missing children. Ill
be right back" She never comes back.
The National Guard had already spent busy
winter recruiting its members, making extra drills
and urging legislation to increase the countrys
military resources 1t was looking forward to
summer of rest except for a brief camp expert
ence. On the 10Th of June Columbia, the we'll
known Gem of the Ocean, rushed up to the Guard
and said with great excitement: "Oh, sir, please
hold my border for few minutes while run and
get my regular army recruited up.
The Guard took the border and is still holding
it. Columbia has never come back; the army is
not recruited up; the recruiting boom has col
lapsed; Uncle Sam has been out campaigning at
night and selling frecrackers. to foreigners in
the daytime. The Guard waits in Texas and
sweats and shivers and hikes up and down look
ing for Columbia instead of Villa. The Guard
misses train after train, loses job after job de-
faults on mortgages forfeits opportunities. for
making money, relinquishes the market to rivals
and substitutes and wonders whether his wife or
sweetheart has starved to death or run off with
another fellow.
The border is behaving beautifully. 1t sleeps
all the time, except for a warning yawp when the
Guard is tempted to leave it alone and go home.
~ great many ptOplt are saying tndt tHc hudIu
will never hold another border; that the Guard
will go out of business once it gets home if ever
it does. Uncle Sam chuckles back: THE Guard
is my sworn slave, an oath is an oath. In spite
of camping all summer and all autumn, it will
drill all winter or go to jail s.
Meanwhile the regular army is being neglected
even more completely. 1t has not been recruited
to the strength commanded by congress. Such
effortslas were made were ptiful fiasco and are
largely abandoned On October 80 the regular
army was l4,3O7 below the peace strength under
the old law and 34,3O7 below the peace strength
under the new law! And it was ruled that we
were technically at war with Mexicol The navy
is in no better plight Great appropriations have
been voted, but when the Arizona went into COM
mission the other day it put out of commission
three battleships and took their crews and was
short l64 officers and men in spite of that. The
nation said LET there be might" but there is no
might. The marine corps alone has its authorized
quota thanks either to some unusual attractive
ness OF its life as passenger or to its very active
press bureau 1t is advertised by its loving friends
and get recruits. '.h',
The army and navy evidently have no loving
friends The National Guard, it is feared will be
advertised the wrong way by its loving enemies.
The Guard used to have its detractors outside.
Now it is so full of discomfort that its greatest
danger is from within: In spite OF all the enthu-
siasm in the world, the Guard has not been
cruited up to its proper strength and now those
within very largely feel that they have been duped
and imprisoned or exiled as reward for their
devotion In recent letter to the press guards
man called the experience "a nightmare" and IAN
outrage" Such men will be the worst possible
press agents when they return home. They ought
to be brought home at once, The expense of
keeping them there is unjustly distributed They
are subjected to cruel and unusual discrimination.
| shouldn't be surprised if their detention were
unconstitutional Almost everything is. They
still expect to return home. Hope springs eternal
in the lguardsman's breast But when they will
return-ay, there's the rub! Governor Whitman
of New York, growing anxious about the fu-
ture existence of the fine division he gave to
Bncle Sam, wrote the president and said in ef-
feet:
Sorry to trouble you, 'Prexy,' at time when
we are both looking to our fences, but could you
give me hint as to when we can Stay the fatted
calf for the lean boys in olive drab? Their mother
is anxious and their wife has just applied for
reservation at the poorhouse."
And the president answered, in effect: "The
Lord only knows, Gov. Ask Mr.. Carranza when
Mr.. Villa is coming home and his answer will be
mine. Your Guard is a fine lot OF lads and I'm
ever so much obliged to them and so is the
country" --'- .ar. Is,
When was down there and it was limited that
election day might find us still on the border, We
ridiculed the idea as preposterous one, an in
conceivable hardship. Yet there the Guard still
is without even runlor to- gnaW on. he Army
and Navy Journal in its issue of October %,
1916. says "the general impression about the
War department is that neither the army nor the
National Guard will be relieved from Mexican
service within year"
The Guard is kept there by the ingenious and
perhaps necessary device of refusing to accept
designations or grant, discharges except on the
| most exceptional terms. The popularity of the
service is indicated by the fact that if resigna-
! tons and appeals for discharge should be favor.
| ably received the Guard would all be home and
there would be no Guard.
The Army and Navy Journal of October
contains the names of eghty-hve Guard officers
| whose designations were accepted between August
| 80 and October 2. | was unfortunate enough to
| be compelled to be one of these though fortunate
enough to be released. Between July 20 and Octo-
Der rs nearly 500 designations of officers were ac
cepted. 1t is safe to say that $500 designations
| were submitted and held up. OF the men who
want discharges the number would run to many
! thousands. In consequence the enemies of the
| Guard are saying that it has not made good, that
| it will not stay good and that it is no good Some
| editors praise the self-sacrihce of the Guard and
some ridicue it for cry-babysm.
The administration feelssit necessary to patrol
the border at all costs. Hagreeiwith that opinion
after meeting the people along the border. NJ They
are convinced that the tpresence of the Guard
alone protects them from bandit atrocities and
| that these would begin again at once if the pa
| troll were removed. There are not enough men
| in the regular army to do the work and SO the
| Guard stays. This is not the fault of any ndivid-
ual or any party but it is fault and it ought to
| be remedied in common decency and humanity.