The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-10-22


many regiments were still without
tents, blankets, FIRST hid packets, am
intrenching tools, machine
guns. medicines, pistols. knives, can
teens or haycrsacks three weeks after
mobilization had been ordered.
An American infantry regiment at
war strength should number two
thousand men. Its minimum peace
strength is nine hundred and ninety.
When mobilization began most Of the
state regiments were below minimum
peace strength, and many were un-
able TO NIL their ranks even with raw
recruits.
The following letter suggests what
the conditions were:
LAS CRUCES. y. NJ, 5-27-l6.
Dr. j. Il, Hausmann (member OF the
American Legion, New York City.
~ y.
Dear Mr.. Eiausmaun:
We are hopelessly short OF
men and must have 900 as a minimum
and would use 1000 to advantage. We
are losing many men because Of phys
ical disability. by which mean that
the regular army surgeons are re-
jecting them, and we have 10 have
men 10 take their places within the
next few days. II occurred to me
likely that there must be among men,
bers Of the American Legion enough
men who are anxious to see some real
service, OF which they are assured,
to respond to this call.
This is, of course, entirely unofficial,
-
officer in the guard who has the well
fare OF the guard as well as the dignity
OF the state very warmly ut heart,
may add. however, that ! have lust
had Il conversation over the telephone
with the acknowledgement OF the New
Mexico national guard, and he tells
me that II / can induce 300 men to
enlist from New York or anywhere
else shall certainly have the honor
of saving the state from being placed
in the ignominious position OF being
unable to raise its quota after the
president has called upon II.
II necessary, use the wires freely
at my expense. and hoping that you
may be in a position to help us out,
i am, with kindest personal regards,
SAhNN4NAg gbhAbf
tSignedl A. FLEMING JONES,
Colonel, y. G, y. NJ, unassigned
Formerly aide-de-camp TO governor
Militia UnprepIrcd.
Many regiments reached the border
without wagon-trains, ammunition, or
supplies They were incapa-
BILE Of moving more than a days
march from the point where they
were detrained; they could neither
have resisted nor cared for their
wounded, They would have been
by the attack Of any
trained army.
Chaos is only the logical result OF a
system based upon dual allegiance
and operated by foreiy-eight different
groups of amateurs.
The local daily newspapers have not
reported the glaring failures OF the
militia mobilization. Instead they have
romanced about the noble boys In
khaki and the girls they left behind
them. Local papers seem to fear that
any criticism Of the faulty militia sys-
TEN will be interpreted by the rela-
tiyes and friends of militiamen as de-
rogatory to the unseltish and alto
gether admirable rank and file. That,
however, is not the principal Difficult
ty. The chief obstacle is that intelli-
gent criticism must be aimed to a
large degree at the states adjutants-
general and at amateur generals of
and these persons already
possess sufficient influence to muzzle
their local press.
The following is an illustration In
point. On Friday, June 90, the first
brigade of Pennsylvania state militia
paraded in Philadelphia. A brigade
at war strength should number six
thousand. but the First Pennsylvania
brigade was only two thousand strong.
Nearly thousand were raw recruits
who had been hurrIedly enlisted in
vain efforts to fill up the ranks and
were so anemic and stoop-
that they were subsequent
~ rejected as unfit to withstand the
rigors Of war. And yet one Philadel-
phia paper. in describing the parade,
spoke OF three thousand grim-visaged
fighting men!"
In another city I questioned a re-
porter who was about to depart for
the Mexican border as war CORE
spondent" with local militia regiment.
l asked him II he had any intention
OF telling any unpleasant truth about
the deficiencies OF the mobilization. He
replied with a cynical laugh: mot on
your life! I'm going to lie like hell"
UnansWerable Indictment.
Ex-Assistant Secretary OF War
Breckenridge, OF Kentucky, who re-
signed rather than surrender to Mr..
Hay. has said:
THE history OF the militia consti-
tutes an unanswerable indictment of
the militia system. 1t illustrates the
of submitting good mill
tary material to the disastrous infLu-
ence of such a system. The same in
individuals who participated in
the shameful history of the
militia, il organized and trained under
proper system, would have written
annals of glory"
We concur in Mr.. Hays premise as
TO the defects Of the state militias
as now constituted, but we cannot ]
indorse his subsequent ac-
ton; for while pretending to place
the militias upon a new and improved
footing, in reality he "wInks the other
eye" and not only leaves thsn upon
the present basis OF state control, but
lntrenches and strengthens and per-
than, ,r-tt1, oil that dnSnnt-