New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-12-02
De-Federalize the Guard!

Evidence has already been piled up
mountain high of the failure Of the Ad-
ministration's attempt 70 federalize the
National Guard. Few Guardsmen can be
found who, after their experience on the
Mexican border, will ever voluntarily put
themselves in a position to be called out a
second time for that sort of service.
The painful incident just reported from
McAllen, Textile resignation in body
Of the officers Of the 10Th New York In
tantry-only emphasizes the hollowness OF
an official efforts to gloss over an impos-
-ible situation. The colonel Of the 18th
Regiment is a regular officer. formerly an
lid on the staff Of Major General Leonard
Wood. He was appointed because OF his
nigh professional attainments. When he
resigns in consequence of what he con-
siders an undeserved slight 70 his regiment
and all the other regimental officers follow
his example. no further revelation IS
reeded of the disorganization now rampant
IN the border.
The Hay experiment was doomed to fail
IRE from the beginning. It was political
makeshift-a mere device to sidetrack
real military reorganization. It succeeded
IN Congress solely because too many Con-
cressnen were convinced that the noisy
little coterie of National Guard officers
supporting it had behind them the rank
and file of the National Guard. Most Of
The Representatives and Senators who put
through the Hay bill (Mr. Hay and some
other enemies of military preparedness
voted for it because they hoped thereby TO
Kill off the Garrison Continental army and
other schemes for creating a more depend
able second line) thought that they were
doing a favor to the National Guard poll
ticians and were placating deliverable
National Guard vote.
They were mistaken in this. The mem
bers Of the National Guard were perfectly
willing to 90 to the defence Of the country
i'm case Of war. They were ready TO re-
.-pond TO the call Of patriotism, if need be.
But they never consciously approved the
Hay plan in so far as it contemplated a
liberalization OF the Guard for the pur-
poses of ordinary peace service-an ANAL
gamation Of the militia and the regulars
into a first line body to do patrol work on
our Southern border.
The state troops which have been forced
20 do this work under the present federal
ization scheme are profoundly dissatisfied
with the burden thrust on them. They
did not enlist with such service in view.
They are not trained for it or suited to it.
II is a clear waste of time and money to
take them away from their homes and
families TO make them do routine military
duty which ought to be performed by a
standing army. If our standing army is
not large enough TO protect the Southern
border against Mexican bandit raids, 1t
ought to be enlarged sufficiently to wrestle
with that problem.
There was no military warrant for the
liberalization Of the state militia. All
expert military opinion was against such
venture. Political jobbery triumphed over
military argument. But even Congress
and the uniformed public now sympathize
completely with the state troops, who have
been made the victims Of bootless and
insincere experiment.
Had the militia remained at home, the
Hay scheme might have passed muster for
time. 1t would have escaped real test.
Fortunately for the country, an acid test
has now been made and exposure has re-
suited. The liberalization scheme has
failed at all points; and no observers real
ize that fact more keenly than the militia
men themselves, who have been dragged
20 Texas. New Mexico and Arizona TO do
mere camp and police duty.
Congress owes these men an apology.
II ought to make amends TO them by re-
pealing the sections of the Hay law which
federalized the state guards. De-federal-
ization should undo the blunder of federal
ization. 1t is clear that the National
Guard organizations can now be preserved
only by remanding them to their original
status.
They will dwindle away 70 nothingness,
unless they quickly regain free hand and
resume their arrested development as state
and second or third line reserve forma-
tons.