The Hawaiian gazette., 1916-02-18
Garrison, and the Guard

rsp9sed both c9nhdence and trust lie was regaraeu
as one of the cabinet officers who had made good i'll
the largest way But his future usefulness to the
ton was based on the untenabe continental Army
plan and when he insisted, he apparently did, on
the adoption of this scheme, the best Interest of the
nation required that he should 60 "A'
Mr.. Garrison could method whereby the
national guard could be made into effective branch
oftle army of defense and he fought every plan to
attemptt In a letter to Senator Chamberlain, deal
ing with tie Militia Pay Bill, the secretary wrote:
Having arrived at the consideration of measure
involving pay of the national guard we have come
TO the final parting of the ways The passage of such
measure would fully and rretrievaby commit us
to system that has utterly failed in the past which
menaces our safety nova system in which the
people justly have no confidence
"If we put the organized militia firmly in the
saddle, as is contemplated in this bill, the opportunity
for adopting sound military policy for the nation
will have passed beyond recall"
In the same letter, Mr.. Garrison stated that the
guard system had always stood between proper vol
unteer army and the United States and always would
This stand he continued to hold and because of it he
resigned, congress refusing to take his opinion as,
against that of the vast majority of army officers
and civilians who have studied the question Of de-
Tense and observed the difficulties under which
Great Britain has been struggling, due to a system
of 'territorias," paralleng the proposed CONT
nentals"
A pamphlet, issued by the war department. and
mailed since the first of the month shows that Mr..
Garrison fought to the last The pamphlet contains
the text of his latest public utterance on the ques
tion of defense and is unsparing in Its criticism of
the national guard organization and the belief that
it can be moulded into its large place in the scheme
OF preparedness lnasmuch congress will soon be
debating the very points,, the extracts from the ad
dress which follow are informative. They give a
point of view that is interesting in respect to the
secretary resignation and because of the arguments
concerning the national guard that will be pre-
scented in Washington the floor of both houses
Speaking for the advocates of preparedness who
agreed with the administration plan, Mr.. Garrison
said: A>as
They demanded the adoption of n real military policy.
Unless they pursue that demand nsseny and persist
emily until it has been enacted into law their pur-
pose will be thwarted The opponents of national
defense, although small minority, vigorous and
vocal and very busy.
The opposition, although actuated by widely diff.
fering motives is united in antagOnism. The cup
porters of real national defense divided dis
persed, and therefore, ineffective They are wasting
their strength by fighting against each other
ton of details is mmaterial and negligible unless you
secure the essential firm foundation upon which to
Unless settled by affirmative legislation that the
nation shall raise, organize officer train, and at all
times control the national forces for national de-
Tense, all other things that done left undone
are Of little moment.
IA 4 Upon this basic principle all sincere supporters
can unite and upon all such must unite if anything
worth while is to be obtained
This the basic principle bodied forth the re-
concentrations of the President to congress This
the basic principle which being assailed by all of
the opponents of real national defense. They doing
y openly and covertly, straghfOrwardly and suhly.
Ihey are suggesting that complete and satisfactory
II remedy will be applied by voting money to state
troops and relying them for national defense They
are suggesting that by providing act of congress
that those who participate in these federal aPpopra.
lions shall agree to be mustered in national service
In time of war a complete and satisfactory solution
y OF the military problem is reached Such solution,
of course. appeals to every pacncO to every potco,
and to all those who therein opportunity to di-
vert federal funds to local purposes Diverse
the motives Of the parifst and the others who
Joined with him in assault real national
policy they both eagerly in support of these
suggestions. They there in the defeat of any
real substantial valuable policy of national defense.
They realize that if they deceive the people into
believing that these proposals provide substantial
response to the nsstent demand for national defense
they will have accomplished what they set out do
and in addition Will have personally benefited by the
result.
You possibly have any military system worthy
OF the name based upon fortyeight separate armies,
under fortyeight separate authorities raised Differed,
and trained by forty-eight separate commandment
chief, who by law absolutely in control of every
authority that is necessary in military affairs And
the suggestion that this hybrid, ncoherent, utterly
Insufficient system is turned into an effective and
trustworthy system by merely providing that the men
who go into state organization must agree to
the national government in time of is deceptive
Il in the extreme. SO long the Constitution Of the
Upted States remains a written act OF congress
can legally give the national government right
TO raise, recruit, officer, train, control these
troops Excepting when they called out for
of the three specifications in the Constitution they
more subject to the authority Of the federal
government in the essential necessities of military
agenent than if they troops of alien
try This Tas the purpose of the trainers of the
Constitution and is plainly and specifically set forth
thefein!ss y.
All proposals to build a military system for the
United States upon the basis of state troops pro
posals 20 create continue situation that is usorv
and not real; that is sham and substantial;