El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-05-01
NATIONAL GUARD
SQUABBLE AIRED
Letters Passing Between
9 Hunt and War Depart
ment Published.

Phoenix. Ariz.. May 1.-Official cor
respondence between Gov. Hunt. Adjt
Gen. Charles W. Harris, and the war
department is being published by Ari-
zona newspapers TO substantiate the
stories published late in March. expos
ing the present conditions Of the Ari-
zona national guard, asserting that the
removal Of Harris had frequently been
requested by the department, and
charging that the state militia was
Being made a Hunt political machine.
: An abstract OF the correspondence
was furnished by Col. G. W. McIver,
acting chief Of the division OF militia
affairs. Mai. Gen. Hugh L. Scott chief
Of staff. recommended the approval OF
the abstract and later q was approved
by secretary OF war, Newton d. Baker,
who affixed his signature.
ChnrgeH Are Made.
= The governor and Harris. after the
Publication OF the expose, charged that
Capt. Cromwell Stacey, detailed from
the regular army for duty with n. G.
A. as inspector instructor, was incom-
petent and had long been creating dis
sension in the organization. Harris
vigorously denied that the governor
had. on December 16, 1915, requested
Capt Stacey to take entire charge Of
the guard, and on December p had re-
ouested the department to direct
Stacey to assume that duty. Yet the
governors letters to Capt Stacey and
She department, making these requests,
are quoted i'm the McIver abstract At
that time Hunt praised Stacey highly
but after the newspaper stories were
published, he wired the department re-
questing that he be removed.
IL is charged by Col. McIver that
the first dissession, between the de-
partment and Arizona militia organiza-
ton arose as soon IS Harris was APP
pointed adjutant general and has con
tinued steadily since.
Letter to Hunt Quoted.
A letter from the secretary OF war
TO the governor written IN 1915, IS
quoted i'm part as follows:
ATherc seems TO be no escape from
The conclusion that the attitude OF the
adjutant general has not been entirely
frank toward the war department. In
stance Of this fact appears in his writ
ten statement of September 4, last. to
the chief, division Of militia affairs,
that he had at that title most OF the /
men enlisted for a machine gun COM
paHy, equipment for which ne was
DESTROYS OF obtaining Immediately and !
without expense TO the state. while !
a. a matter OF fact practically no en-
listments had AT that time been made. |
Letter DeIeted.
"The most serious instance. however. ]
q
ment from the war department OF |
December s, last. informing the adju- 1
tant general Of Arizona that from the /
report Of the federal representative IN !
that state IL appeared that the build
ing I'm which the machine gun equip !
mens was stored did not afford ade-
uuate protection against theft, ana
him TO take steps to secure
It, The reply OF the adjutant genera
indicated no intention Of compliance
SCI r|r4n
secure as indicated by GER
tain letters which he enclosed one OF
these Enclosures purports TO be a copy
or a letter fr9n the CHIEF OF ponce OF |
Phoenix but I'm reality it is copy OF
only a part OF the original Two para
graphs OF the original are omitted and
one OF these paragraphs had It been
retained would have established the
Of the condition represented
by the adjutant general 90 the war
The original Of this let
ter came into the hands OF the war
department by accident
VIII Not Send Another.
That there ifs no prospect OF another
instructor being detalled TO
DUTY i'm Arizona soon is indicated by
The concluding paragraph of the Nc
Iver letter:
aThe division is Of the opinion thar
the best solution, looked at from the
standpoint OF the war department IS
TO remove NApl- stacey A. jim ., ]
To- Illinois and TO leave the detail IN !
Arfzona vacant until further develop
lnents would Justify a resumption OF
the detail there
Lawyers nnd Indians"
That Harris does not think very
highly of the citizenship Of Arizona IS
indicated By a sentence I'm letter
from him to Gen. Leonard Wood,
quoted by Col McIver:
AS YOU know from experience, Ari-
iona is inhabited mostly by lawyers
and Indians"