New Britain herald., 1916-02-11

but out of it's inability, under the , constitution, to have the essential unity of responsibility, authority and control in the raising, officering, i training and governing of it's military 1 forces.'
 Again Wires to President. , Following an interview between { the president and MT Garrison on 1 the army plans, the secretary again
 wrote the president, specifically stating his position The president in formed him that MT. Hay had told him federal volunteer system could not be obtained and that the same end could be accomplished by utiliz- ing the state troops and making ap- propriations to pay to the states OH conditions that the federal govern ment control the militia
 | MT. Garrison then replied that ! the Continental army plan abso- , lutely discarded a military system 1 based upon state troops and that the i two systems were diametrica1ly op- ! posed to each other and irreconcil- l able. We are challenged" he wrote, ! 'by the existing situation to declare ourselves promptly, openly and un- equivocally or be charged with lack of sincerity and good faith" Not Seeking to Embarrass He added that since MT. Wilson's word was final he did not wish to cause any em mbarrassment and would withdraw if it would relieve the sit uation.
 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, organization and control of that re- serve should be under immediate federal direction" He declined, how ever, to take an irrevOcable stand on the ground that he would have to take his plan or none. He declared he did not believe members of the house dealing with military affairs were ignorant of the military neces- sitics of the nation, but had found them all informed.
 He said that he would welcome a frank interchange of views, but add cd mo one will expect mo to acqui- esce in any proposal that I regard as inadequate or illusory' Should a bill be presented to him which he could not accept as accomplishing the essential thing sought, he said. it would be his duty to veto 1t and go to the country on the merits.
 The views of the president and MT. Garrison were reviewed in other let ters, which eliminated in the offer ing and acceptance of the secretary's resignation.
 Correspondence With President.
 The correspondence between Secre- tary Garrison and the president began CD January 12, when the secretary sent MT. Wilson the following letter:
 January 12, 1916. My, Dear MT. President:
 'In my judgment we are facing a critical juncture with respect to the military part of the national defense program.
 1T am convinced that unless the sit 1Iation is dealt with promptly and eff fectiveIy, we can indulge in no req sonable expectation of any accept 1 able result.
 "So far as the military part of na- tional defense is concerned, there can be no honest or worthy solution which does not result in national forces under the exclusive control ana au- tEority of the national government. Any other solution is illusory and not real is apparent and not substantial.
 There is perfectly legitimate field of discussion and debate as to the means of obtaining these nation al forces. The proportion thereof that should be regular standing army; that should be organized reserves Of the regular standing army or should he drawn from the body of citizens for shorter periods of national ser vice than those in the regular stand ing army are all legitimate and prop ar matters for consideration analysis and discussion
 "But, there is absolutely no dissent from the military standpoint, from the conclusion that only measures or T ationa1 defense that possesses any virtue is one which produces national forces. From the beginning of the government to this time excepting during periods of actual war, the acknowledged weakness and defect of the situation arouse out of the lack of any system producing these federal forces The situation was rendered worse by the presence of state troops raised, off1cered, trained and govern ed by states that were assumed to be a. military reliance for the na- ton when in fact they are not and can never be made to be. Under the constitution of the United States these state troops must always be governed, officered and trained by the respective states.
 'The very first line of cleavage, therefore, which must be encounter