Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-07-20
CITY GUARDSMEN
FACE DISMISSAL
IN RED TAPE ROW
Captain and Private, Who
Refused to Re-enlist,
s. May Be Tried
FEDERAL OATH CAUSE
BY CARL L. ZEISBERG
Evening Ledger std1 Correspondent


Ell PAso Tex, July 2O--A Philadelphia
National Guard captain in the shadow Of
court-martial and a private in his company
facing trial for an alleged fraud on the
Government is one of the results Of the
now w-muddled transfer of tho National Guard
into Federal service on the border.
The officers case is one Of the worst
| fruits of a system of transporting guards
men to the border regardless of when their
enstments expired after they were mus
| tered into Federal service, an undertaking
which today was criticised by both Major
| General Clement and Brgadier General
Price.
The enlistments OF scores of guardsmen
now encsmped here have expired or shortly
will expire. and their cases constitute
problem which will not be solved until
requested ruling from the Southern Depart
ment is received.
No discharges can be granted until this
ruling Is made, for the commanding officers
here are United States officers now with
apparently no authority to sign discharges
for guards.
The case of the captain and private In
volved Ia In O class separate and distinct.
The private took the Federal oath after his
enlistment had expired, fact said to be
known to his captain This lays the cap
tain open to dismissal from the service, ao-
CuTulnk 10 <ATNlClSb anu ~ Ol Nho <AiNlSiNs
of War; and If, as his superiors allege, the
private allowed himself Illegally to be mug
tered in, merely for the free trip and with
the expectation of being sent homo on his
arrival here, he is liable to prosecution, as
pointed out by a very high officer.
The private's enlistment as a militiaman
expired July at Mt Gretna. He asked
for and was refused n discharge, according
TO his story,
REFUSED TO RE-ENLIST.
At any rate, when his regiment took the
Federal oath, ho held up his hand in assent
and with the tacit consent of his COM
mander He accompanied the regiment to
FL Paso and Lere refused to re-enlist on
the ground that his wife and children in
Philadelphia were dependent upon him.
The captains answer, with the approval
of his superiors, was to strip the enlisted
man of his equipment and to stop his pay
and rntions The private's case presents an
enigma. Strictly not soldier, he wears a
uniform. He is not a guardsman, for his
enlistment has expired; nor is he free, for
the evidence of the expiration of his term
OF service, the discharge papers, has not
been signed and cannot be until ruling Is
made by the Southern Department COM
mander.
In the meantime the private is a sorry
spectacle as he wanders dIsconsolately
across the mesa near camp, thinking of his
wife and children $500 miles away. He re-
turns to camp at mess time for the hand
outs his sympathetic comrades save for
him. AT nightfall he sinks into his
"bunltie's' tent. He is the victim of bar
racks lawyers" officers say, meaning those
of his fellow soldiers who influenced him.
The enlistments of scores of Pennsylva-
mia soldiers expired en- route. in camp here,
or TO expire soon. Blame for this condition
was placed both on the men and their COM
pany commanders by Major General Glenn
ent and Brigadier General Price.
hoI hoa
II the captains had been careful to weed
out OF their commands men whose enlist
ments they knew would expire soon after
arrival here" said General Clement dis
cussing the mastering in OF guardsmen
whose terms lacked only a month or so of
completion, Far simpler II would have
been to bring down a command of men with
only long enlistments before them
mo man with an expiration coming with
in short time should have taken the Fed
eral oath without previously re-enlisting,
and no such man should have been allowed
TO take this trip without showing evidence
by re-enlisting of his good faith and will |
ingnesS to serve his country"
Overanxiety on the part OF the captains
to make brave showing with large COM |
panIes of men with both long and short |
enllstments before them. said General Price |
was responsible for the number OF soldiers
now here whose enlistments have expired |
or will expire soon.
III the captains had followed the instruc
tlons OF Adjutant General Stewart, no en-. |
listments would have expired here" he said. |
Privates who have expressed desire TO |
re-enlist are temporarily signing their con- |
tracts on the old militia" blanks, while the |
new blanks are being awaited from Wash. |
ington.