The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1916-08-18
HOW THE WILSON
ADMINISTRATION HAS
PEaALIzED PATRIOTISM.

| M VIZ" tht DOS vi
further aggression upon the territory
Of the United States from Mexico and
the necessity for the proper protection
Of that frontier" President Wilson on
June IS called out the mobile arms of
the national guard for federal service.
He did not call them out at their
existing peace strength, but at war
strength, which Is practically double.
Lacking system Of reserves, the ma
honal guard organizations Immediate
ly had to start campaign OF recruit
Ing to bring about the desired Increase
In their numbers.
Patriotic young citizens under the
urge Of the cry, "Your country needs
you" volunteered for service I'm graf
flying numbers. According 10 Senator
Chamberlain. chairman Of the senate
committee on military affairs. the re-
suit Is that about 10000 citizen sol
diers have been mustered into the fed
eral service and are now on the Mex
lean border or In camp I'm their home
states. There may be more, but the
administration refuses to make known
the exact figures.
The movement Is costing The public
treasury many millions Of dollars; 1t
Is costing the individual citizen soldiers
many millions more. They W ent to the
front believing the cry, "Your country
needs you." for war service. They sac
rlfced advancement In their civil occu.
pations, severed home ties, Iffered in
thousands OF instances great financial
loss. The less patriotic, who did not
believe the cry or, believing declined
to make sacrifices, fatten at home on
these losses
The real purposes Of the call are
slowly developing They are two in
number:
First.-A patrol Of the border to do
the work which President Wilson's
friend, Carranza, finds 1t imp ossible to
do. Because the recognized govern
nent In Mexico Is too inefl ective 10
keep It's own citizens I'm check and pre-
vent them numbering Americans OH
American soil the American govern
ment undertakes the costly task of
doing that work for them. The muir
soil is another matter. Carranza may
go as far as he likes I'm that direction.
Seccnd.-A purpose of the mobiliza-
tion on tho border and I'm tie camps
Is to tsstin citizens to perform effective
military so~vbco. The regular military
establishment of the nation Is mani
festly too small COR the actual military
needs. TO this extent the c'y, "Your
country needs you," was corr, oct.
But these facts were not made clear
when the call was Issued The idea
was promulgated that men were need
ed for actual war service, moi for mill
tary training Deceit was practiced.
Opposing I'm the open legis alton for
universal military service tie admin
istration by its acts has established
what In essence Is system of com
pulsory military service. 1t IL q sys-
tenn all the more vicious because It
operates only against the patriotic,
whereas n legalized universal, training
system equalizes the burden of mill
tary service among all men and all
classes of men.
When in 1914 Europe plunged into
the greatest war of all history and con-
ditions I'm Mexico grew intol lerable in
telligent men realized the fa It that II
was incumbent on this nation to build
up its tiny regular army AMI put its
other military resources I'm condition
for use. National safety demanded
this. And yet I'm December Of that
year. four months after the european
war hogan. President Wilson went be-
fore congress and declared that all
agitation for military preparedness
was hysterical; that we were ade-
quately prepared
After awhile the administration
changed its mind and profess eel 10 be-
lieye in the necessity for preparedness.
First came an enactment to increase
the regular army by 10000 But the
body of the country, and even all
parts OF the lpcIUOcTutlC Ut HlllllSlTu-
ton, could not change front so quickly
as the head Recruiting for the regu-
lar army Jagged. Not yet have the
10000 been secured.
The need pressed. A new national
defense act. providing for still more
men I'm tho regular army, was enacted.
But still the men were not forthcom-
Ing.
Suddenly and without warning the
administration issued It's cal for mo-
bilization OF the citizen soldiers. 1t
seemed still obsessedf with the Bryan
notion that an army could b. created
by presidential ukase.
When the call went out the govern
ment did not own enough uniforms.
shoes. socks. blankets, hats, wagons,
trucks. horses. mules and other things
essential to equip the men called. IL
had made no provision for transport
ing the troops called to tie points
where they were required.
Who suffered most 10y this amazing
tocl, nf foroSiyht this popipp baforp