The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1916-08-26
How The Wilson
Administration Has
PenaIiZed Patriotism

Having In view the possibility o.
further aggression upon the territory
Of the United States from Mexico and
the necessity for the proper protee-
ton OF that frontier" President VIII
son. on June IS, called out the mobile
arms OF the National Guard for federal
service.
He did not cali them out at their
existing peace strength. but at war
strength, which is practically double.
Lacking q system OF reserves. the
National Guard organizations tmmedi
ately had TO start a campaign Of re-
cruiting, to bring about the desired In
crease In their numbers.
Patriotic young citizens. under the
urge OF the CRY, Your country needs
you," volunteered for service In graft
tying numbers. According to Senator
Chamberlain, chairman Of the Senate
Committee on Military Affairs. the re-
suit Is that about 1876. 900 citizen sol
Tiers have been mustered into the
federal service and are now on the
Mexican border or IN camp in their
nome states. There may be more. but
the administration refuses TO make
snown the exact figures.
The movement is costing the public
treasury many millions OF dollars: II
s costing the individual citizen sol
Hers many millions more. They went
o the front believing the cry, your
country needs you." for wal service.
they sacrificed Advancement In their
:ivn occupations, severed home ties,
suffered, In thousands Of instances.
great financial loss. The less pa
riotic, who did not believe the cry or
believing. declined to make sacrifices.
.atten at home on these losses.
The real purposes OF the cali are
slowly developing. They are two in
number:
First . patrol OF the border to do
the work which President Wilson's
friend. Carranza. finds 1t Impossib 9
70 do. Because the recognized govern.
ment In Mexico ts too ineffective TO
keep It's own citizens in check and
prevent them numbering Americans
on American soil, the American gov
eminent undertakes the costly task OF
doing that work for them. The mur
der OF American citizens on Mexican
soil IL another matter. Carranza may
go as far as he likes In that direction
Second, q purpose Of the mobiliza-
ton on the border and in the camps
Is to train citizens 10 perform effective
military service. The regular military
establishment Of the nation Is mani
testify too small for the actual military
needs. To this extent the CRY, your
country needs you" was correct
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: not for
military training. Deceit was prac-
t1ced.
Opposing in the open legislation for
universal military service. the admin
tstration by its acts has established
what In esssncs L. q system of COM
pulsory military service. II Is a sys-
tenn all the more vicious because Il
operates only against the patriotic,
whereas . legalized universal training
system equalixes 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
conditions in Mexico grew intolerable,
intelligent men realized the fact that
Il was incumbent on this nation to
build up its tiny regular army and put
it's other military IN condi-
ton for use. National safety demanded
this. And yet, in December Of that
year, o months after the European
war began. President Wilson went be-
fore Congress and declared that al
agitation for military preparedness
was hysterical; that we were ade-
quatcly prepared.
changed tn mind and professed to
believe in the necessity for prepared
ness. First came an enactment to
Increase the regular army by 10000.
But the body Of the country. and even
all parts OF the Democratic admins
tration. could not change front so
quickly as the head. Recruiting for
the regular army Jagged. Not yet
have the 10000 been secured.
The need pressed A new national
defense act providing for still more
men in the regular army. was enacted.
But stnl the men were not forthcom-
ing.
Suddenly and without warning the
administration issued ts call for mo
Utilization OF the citizen soldiery. Il
seemed stin obsessed with the Bryan
notion that IN army could be created
by presidential ukase.
When the call went out the govern
ment did not wi enough uniforms.
shoes. socks. blankets. hats. w2gons.
trucks. horses. mules and other things
essential to equip the men called; It
had made no provision for transport
ting the troops called to the points