The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-03-02
VERMONT MILITIA
IN GOOD FAVOR
War Department Looks Upon 1t as an
Efficient Organization, Declares
Adj-Gen. Lee S. TillotSon.

Rutland, March Addressing 100
Rutland business men yesterday after
noon, Adjt.- Gen. Lee s. Tillotson of the
Vermont National Guard declared that
the Vermont militia is now looked upon
by the war department as one of the
most efficient military organizations of
the country. Adjt,.Gen. Tillotson said:
THE continental army plan has been
abandoned, and it now seems sure that
Congress will enact measure in which
the National Guard will be the basis of
the reserve force, under some plan which
will place the control in the hands of the
federal goyernmnt. In view of the stu
alton it is well that men should under
stand what the National Guard is, what
it has been doing in the past, and what
it is capable of accomplishing in the flu
ture" The speaker then went on to ex
plain some OF the history and the func-
tions of the guard.
The adjutant general said: "The 1908
Congress passed the present militia law,
known as the Dick law, by which it rec
ognized the existing organizations of Ma
tional Guard in the various states, pro-
vided that they conformed to certain re-
HuD anu tAltuutu ltubIdl
by way of equipment, etc. There has
been an active response all over the coun-
try on the part of the National Guard
to the provisions of this law, and under
it the guard has been developed from
force whose efficiency was questionable,
to say the least, into a well equipped,
well organized, and fairly well trained
army of approximately 10000 officers
and men.
1T is true that as organized at present
the militia of the country does not con-
stitute a we'll balanced cohesive force, !
but that is entirely due to the failure Of |
Congress to enact proper laws for the |
government of the militia, which, under |
the constitution, it has authority to do. |
Since the passage of the Dick law the !
federal government has expended for mil |
ita between five and six millions of dol |
lars per year. and when the Congressional |
committees began to consider the matter |
they at once saw the force of the argu-
ment that it would be folly to abandon |
this considerable force already in being
and attempt to organize another force,
the success of which was, TO say the
least. problematical. refer to the pro-
posed continental army which was TO
have been organized under the army
clause of the constitution, and not under
militia provisions.
"Iou are naturally interested TO know
the condition of the National Guard of
this state as bearing upon its relation
and readiness to become a part of the
proposed national army, and | am glad to
be able to say that in proportion TO the
size and resources of our state, our Ma
sonal Guard as organized and trained
to-day, is recognized by the war depart
ment as one of the most efficient organi-
cations in the country. In rifle practice
in the year 1914, which is the last year
of which the records have been published
by the department, Vermont was one of
nine states whose record OF rife practice
was considered as being satisfactory. I
believe that the record Of 1918, when
published. will show a marked increase
in this respect.
"The men who constitute the Vermont
Guard TO-DAY have been trained
to and are capable of taking care OF 2
themselves in the field. They understand
the laws and sanitation. they can march
and they can shoot. and a body Of men
who can do these things can accomplish
everything that an army viii ever be
called upon to accomplish. We are al
ready federalized We have for years
been organized in accordance with the
prescribed BY the war de-
partment. We have for years been in
structed BY regular army officers, and
sc are to-day not only Instructed by
hem, but under their actual command"
Colonel Reeves 20 the lst Vermont reg
ment. said that every citizen is charged
sith the defense II his country The
ederal constitution provided for no reg
slar army hut sll the citizsn. should
,ome forward If the country was in dan
-er
He spoke 81 TIE character 81 the Ma
ionai Guard mannutre- and said that u
gas real business ~ belong To the mill
Ga. No mau vas too god O. serve the
ountTy. We SHOULD have no man Is pro-