The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1916-08-17
HOW THE WILSON
ADMINISTRATION HAS
PENALIzED PATRIOTISM,

Having in view the possibility Of
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 ont 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 a system of reserves, the ma
donal guard organizations immediate
ly had to start a 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
your volunteered for service in graf
flying numbers. According to Senator
Chamberlain, chairman Of the senate
committee on military affairs, the re-
suit is that about $4,000 citizen sol
diers have been mustered into the fed
eral service and are now on the Mex
lean border or in camp in 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: il
Is costing the individual citizen soldiers
many millions more. They went to the
front believing the cry, Your country
needs you" for war service. They sac
riticed advancement in their civil occu-
pations, severed home ties, suffered 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 it impossible to
do. Because the recognized govern
nent in Mexico is too ineffective to
keep its own citizens in check and pre-
vent them numbering Americans on
American soil the American govern
ment undertakes the costly task Of
doing that work for them The muir
der of American citizens on Mexican
soil is another matter. Carranza may
go as far as he likes in that direction.
Second.-A purpose of the mobiliza-
ton on the border and in the camps
is to train citizens to perform effective
military service. Thr regular military
establishment of the nation is mani
festly too small >or the actual military
needs To this extent the cry "Your |
country needs you" was correct.
But these facts We're not made clear |
When the call was issued. The idea |
was promulgated that men were need
ed for actual war service, not for mill |
tary training Deceit was practiced.
Opposing in the open legislation for
universal military service the admin
istration by its acts has established
what in essence is a system of COM
pulsory military service. 1t is a sys-
tenn all the more vicious because It
operates only against the patriotic.
whereas 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-
dittons in Mexico grew intolerable in
tel1igent men realized the fact that it
was incumbent on this nation to build
up its tiny regular army and put its
other military resources in condition
For use. National safety demanded
this And yet in December of that
year, four months after the European
war began, President Wilson went be-
'ore congress and declared that all
agitation for military preparedness
vas hysterical; that we were ade-
luately prepared.
After awhile the administration
hanged its mind and professed to be-
ieve in the necessity for preparedness.
'4rst came an enactment to increase
he regular army by 10000. But the
Dody of the country, and even all
Darts Of the Democratic administra-
ion, could not change front so quickly
IS the head. Recruiting for the regu-
ar army Jagged. Not yet have the
o, 900 been secured.
The need pressed A new national
License act. providing for still more
nen IL the regular army, was enacted.
}ut still the men were not fOrthcom-
lg.
Suddenly and without warning the
administration issued its call for mo-
'iliZatiOn of the citizen soldiers 1t
eemed still obsessed with the Bryan
lotion that an army could be created
" presidential ukase.
When the call went out the govern.
nent did not own enough uniforms.
hoes. socks, blankets, hats. wagons,
rucks, horses, mules and other things
ssential to equip the men called. 1t
ad made no provision for transport
lg the troops called to the points
7here they were required.
Who suffered most by this amazing
lck of foresight, this leaping before
)oking?
Only the $4,000 patriots who be-
eyed that their country needed them
or national defense; only the men
Tho are making the great sacrifices.
The whole disgraceful story may be
nmmed up in the phrase, the admin =
tration has penalized patriotism.
True, 1t is accumulating by subter-
lge a reserve Of trained soldiers, but
vents have demonstrated that it cried
wOlf' when there was no wolf.
hould it be forced to cry wolf
yain. when the wolf ia st tha door