The Cordele dispatch. (Cordele, Ga.) 19??-1971, 1916-07-02
Using "oUR BOYS" FIRST.


fight Mexico and conduct real warfare
there for any length Of time, the pres
ent national military system would re-
ouire that the national guard enter
the conflict in the forefront This is
seemingly an unnatural and unusual
procedure. 1t may be that the new
arrangement is all for the best, but
this country has not proceeded hereto
fore IN this manner.
In the Spanish-Amorican war the
first thing was a call for volunteers.
The answer to that call was an ample
army with which to accomplish every
military need. Those who went to
war were the adventures, those VINO
for the most part had no regular en-
ployment and these were the very
men the country could best afford to
send to war The army was made up
of men the business world did not
miss. The ranks were almost entirely
made I'D of men who did not even
leave families behind uncared for
With the national guard in the fore
front. there are many heads of fami-
lies gone from the home, and no one
is left to provide there. The states
are losing their own real protection in
time of need at home and the business
world is giving up to the army its best
employees. Those of the national
guard who go to service in Mexico are
going under a seven-year enlistment
in the army of the United States IN
the face of all this sacrifice in their
business, and are to get fifteen dollars
per month.
Calling the national guard into the
service of the United States is some
thing new. If there is ever a need OF
rapid mobilization and quick prepare
ton for severe conflict, the call to the
national guard might be most effective
but our trouble with Mexico does not
yet seem to require such an important
move.
There has been an undercurrent Of
dissatisfaction all over the country on
account of the calling out of the ma
tional guard to do service against Mex
leo. Towns, cities and communities
in numbers of instances have had com
plants to make and groups here and
there of the national guard have re-
fused to take the required oath One
town gave notice to cavalry officer
that he could not come back to the
community because he took away cur
boys" to join in the Mexican conflict
1t is more than likely that the gov
eminent has already met with more
difficulty than had been contemplated
would arise in using the national
guard, and it is yet an uncertain mat
ter as to how soon the national guard
can be thrown on the front along the
Mexican border Possibly no time
could be saved.
A call for volunteers issued at the
same time orders were given to the
national guard to get ready, the coun-
try has every good reason to believe,
would have netted an additional force
fully as large as the national guard, II
not as we'll prepared to do the service
which will be required. The outcrop-
ping of dissatisfaction would have
been far less and those who would
have enlisted would have been the
very men the country could most cas-
lily have sent to the war.
The war department is certainly not
going to be as we'll pleased with hav-
ing The national guard at its quick dis
posal as those who Gathered the plan
may .5ope for In the Mexican muddle
a volunteer army could have been Sc
cured with a great deal less friction
at home The adventurer is the man
for this duty. He leaves no place be
hind untitled for he does motto rdinarily
come from the ranks of the employed.
His record as a soldier is not bad and
the country has a sufficient number
Of talya cara nf tho MpS-