The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-02-11
CORRESPONDENCE SHOWS WHY
 CABINET MEMBER RESIGNED
toontinued from Page one,

of the situation arose out of the lack of any system producing federal forces.
 The situation was rendered worse" he added, by the presence of state troops, raised, officered trained and governed by the states"
 There is distinct line of cleavage, MT. Garrison held, between reliance upon a system of state troops and reliance upon natlonal forces. Upon this subject" he said in this letter to the President, there does not exist and cannot legtimately exist, any difference of opinion among those who are unbiased and who believe i'll real national security and defense"
 He declared that if a policy based upon the reliance on state troops was adopted. mot only had no advance been made from the deplorable and inexcusable situation in which we have so long been, but an ef- fective block had been placed across the pathway toward a proper settlement
 The secretary severely criticized the Ma tional Guard plans of Chairman Hay of the House military committed
 In my Judgment, the effect of the en- actment of MT. Hays programme would be to set back the whole cause of legiti- mate, honest national defense in an un- Justi1iable and inexcusable way It would be, in my judgment, betrayal of a trust of the people in this regard It would be lllusory and apparent without any reality or substance
 There is, unfortunately very little Knowledge and very little intense per sonal interest in any of the members of the House concerning military affairs
 MT. Garrison declared further that Mr. Hay had the power of dealing with a subject concerning which 'the rest of the public has no knowledge, and about which It has never concerned itself" and sug- gested that MT. Hays proposal of settling iC ffa., l~r-r bers of state troops appealed to the di- rect personal political interest of the members"
 CRITICISM OF HAY
 MT. Hays proposal to include draft provision so that at the outbreak of war the National Guard could be brought under control of the national government was characterized by Mr. Garrison as utterly failing to meet the essential objections to the perpetuation of militia system. He insisted the difficulty did not arise out of the gov ernment not being able to take over these troops but out of its inability under the constitution, to have the essential unity of responsibility, au- thority and control in the raising, of fieerins, training and governing of it's military forces.
 Following an interview between the President and MT. Garrison on the army plans, the secretary again wrote the President specifically stating his po- sition. The President informed him that Mir. Hay had told him a federal volunteer system could not be ob- tained and that the same end could be achieved by utilizing the state troops and making appropriations to pay the states on condition that the federal government control the militia
 Mr. Garrison then replied that the continental army plan absolutely dis carded military system based upon state troops and that the two systems were diane tricaIly opposed to each other and are irreconcilable We are challenged,' he wrote. "by the existing situation to declare ourselves prompt- ", openly and unequivocably or be charged properly with lack of sincer- 1ty and good faith" He added that since MT. Wilson's word was final he did not wish to cause any embarrassment and would withdraw if it would re- lieve the situation
 The President wrote in reply that he and the secretary agreed that the chief thing necessary for the army was that we should have a trained citizen reserve and that the training organ fZation and control of that reserve should be under immediate federal direction
 He declined, however. to take an ir-