Evening star., 1916-10-14
Text of Presidents Letter.

Inc PRESIDENTS lelter 1OllOWS.
MY dear Gov. Whitman: have re-
ceived your letter of September 20 and
have taken up with the Secretary of War
the situation as it affects the presence
of New York troops on the border. From
the beginning of the difficulty which
necessitated the call for the militia !
have been deeply sensitive of the incon-
venience caused to the members of these
citizen military organizations by their
separation from their families and from
their ordinary business engagements and
pursuits.
"In order to minimize these sacrifices,
the War Department is sending to the
border from time to time militia which
have not participated in the service there,
and each fresh contingent goes to the
border Gen. Funston selects for return to
their home stations and mastering out
such units as in his judgment can best
be spared. This policy will distribute his
duty over as wide an area as possible
and make its burden fall as equally as Is
practicable upon the organized militia
forces.
'It has already resulted in the return
of a number of New York organiza-
tions. The 14th and fist Infantry and
the 1st Brigade headquarters are at
present in their state armories prepar-
ing to muster out. The Sd Infantry in
the state mobilization is going to mus
ter out, the I'd Infantry is preparing
en- route from the border to the state
mobilization camp, also for muster out
Other Units Ordered Home.
''The LIST Ambulance Corps and the 1st
Regiment of Field Artillery have been
designated to return from the border
to their state mobilization camps for
muster out, and the 1st Aero Company
was not sent to the border, but mus
tered out at Mineola. n. Y. Thus sub
stantial number of the New York con-
tingent either have been or are in
course of being released from the fed
eral service at this time, and as other
forces are sent to the border it may
well be that Gen. Funston will find 1t
possible to afford our New York militia
even further relief
THE emergency which led to the
call of the militia was, as defined in
my call of June IS, the possibility of
aggression from Mexico and the protec-
ton of our frontier. This emergency
still unhappily exists. and l am ad-
vised by the military authorities that
the withdrawal of the militia at any
time from the date of it's original call
up to and including the present would
in all human likelihood have been fol-
lowed by fresh aRgressions from Mex
leo upon the lives and the property of
militia have therefore been used and
are being used to repel invasion and
are rendering services of the highest
quality and most urgently needed char
acter to their country.
Impossible to Fix Date.
1T would. of course be impossible to
set date at which the release of the
remaining New York units can with
certainty be accomplished. I am happy
however, to believe that the condition
in northern Mexico is improving and
that in the near future we will be able
to do even more than has been done to
which these organized militia regi-
ments have necessarily suffered.
Il share your admiration, my dear
governor, FOR the spirit in which these
men have served. and are serving, their
country, and would be very sorry to
have IT, supposed that their retention on
the border is for any mere purpose of
completion of their military training Or
any less commanding purpose than the
preservation Of our frontier from az
gression.
Very truly yours,
tSigned) WOODROW WILSON"
Will Address Pennsylvanians.
President Wilson planned to discuss
political conditions in this section, par
ticulariy In Pennsylvania, in a speech
| to be delivered late this afternoon be-
| fore delegation coming here to cele-
| brate Pennsylvania day at Shadow
Lawn.
The visiting delegation was expected
| on eight special trains, accompanied by
seven bands. A. Mitchell Palmer, ma
tonal committeeman from Pennsyl-
| wanna, who arrived here last night
said 1000 persons from his state would