Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-09-14

Washington, Sept. 1.-THE first at
tack by the Republican National Com
mittee upon the policy of the Wilson
! Administration, which has kept the
| National Guard in the Federal service
and on the border, when no state of
war exists, was issued from the COM
mittees headquarters. That politics
is responsible for the situation is
/ charged.
Under the title, Are we at war;"
the Republican committee analyses
the situation. The fact that a few
regiments of the National Guard were
ordered returned to their States last
week is declared to have been offset
by Secretary of War Bakers orders,
which sent the militia of Kentucky,
! Ohio and Vermont to the border.
According to a report which Secre-
tary Baker sent to Congress, a num-
Der in excess of $4,000 National
Guardsmen now are in the Federal
service on the Mexican border and in
the State mobilization camps. The
| committees report continues:
President Wilson and Secretary
Baker have denied that these men,
taken from civil employment at a con-
siderable economic loss to American
! industry, at a huge financial cost to
the nation and at great individual
sacrifice have been called out for war;
President Wilson and Secretary
Baker also have denied that the men
have been called out merely for train
ing purposes.
The President says they are per-
forming patriotic duty The Secre-
tary of War says they are performing
valuable service, and the fact that
this service is being performed with
out active military operations entail
ing loss of life to our soldiers is a
cause of congratulation and happi-
ness"
Say 1t Is Not War Service
But both are quite insistent that it
is not war service that is being per-
formed. Section 112 of the national
defense act provides:
When any officer or enlisted man
of the National Guard drafted into the
service of the United States in time of
war is disabled by reason of wounds or
disability received or incurred while
in the service of the United States in
time of war he shall be entitled to all
the benefits of the pension laws exist
ing at the time of his service. and in
case such officer or enlisted man dies
in the active service of the United
States in time of war. or in returning
to his place of residence after being
mustered out of service, or at any
other time in consequence of wounds
or disabilities received in such active
service, his widow and children, if any
shall be entitled to all the benefits Of
such pension laws"
Asked for an opinion on the sub
Ject by the Secretary of War, Brigadier
General e. H. Crowder, judge advo
cate general of the army, has held
that all of the National Guard now in
the Federal service are entitled to all
the benefits of the pension laws. He
refrains from entering into details.
1t is true that the National Guard
has not been drafted" technically, al
though authority to draft it has been
granted specifically by Congress; but
the inference is irresistible that in the
opinion of the law authority of the
war Department, the requirements of
the pension laws as to war conditions
have been met.
present Limited War"
Obviously the present is a limited
war, growing more limited every day,
but still war within the meaning of
the Federal statutes
But, whether the National Guards
men, despite the Administrations sue
cessive denials, are in the Federal SER
vice for war service or for training
purposes and despite all the uuibbling
and raising of technical questions OBJ
viously they have been modified for
some purpose. They were needed for
defensive action or they were not
needed at all.
At the very beginning of the Demo-
cratic Administration a far-seeing ele-
ment among the men of the country
pointed out that the situation in Mex
leo was so serious that the military
forces of the nation should be extended
promptly to meet a possible, even a