Connecticut western news., 1916-08-17

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 U. s. Will Have 175,ooo Regulars and
 Guardsman In or Near Mexico-War i, Department Denies the Situation Ia
 Growing More Serious.
 All the national guard units included In President Wilson's call of June IS not yet on the Mexican border have been ordered there by the war department.
 Between>2O,OOO and 25,OO0 additional troops will thus be added to the border forces. National guard forces there will number approximately 125,OOO and the total of all troops on the border or in Mexico will be 175,0OO.
 Secretary Baker made formal an- nouncement that the troop movement had nothing whatever to do with the Mexican situation as such and was solely to relieve thousands of troops now held in mobilization camps only because they lack a few recruits to bring units up to fixed maximum strength.
 The order sends the troops from Kentucky, Ohio and Vermont to the border as soon as transportation can be arranged for them and will move all the others as soon as they are properly equipped.
 War department officials decided on their action because the troops are restive in camp and there seemed to be no stimulus to recruiting while there was no prospect of movement to the border. They now expect most of the regiments will be filled before the troops leave.
 Adds Units to Border Line.
 The Kentucky, Ohio and Vermont troops, which will move practically at once, will add the following units to the long border line:
 Kentucky. brigade of three regi- ments of infantry, one company signal corps, one field hospital and one ambu- lance company, mobilized at Fort Thomas.
 Ohio.-Two brigades of three regi- ments each of infantry, one battalion engineers, one battalion signal corps, three field hospitals, two ambulance companies, all mobilized at Columbus.
 Vermont-One regiment infantry and one squadron cavalry, mobilized at Col chester.
 Secretary Baker also made public letter to a correspondent, whose name was not disclosed, who had suggested that the government should discharge state soldiers desiring to return to their business careers. The secretary wrote: A call to arms upon any body of men in the country, except the regular army, who make a profession of the military life would inevitably interrupt business, pro- fessional and personal careers, and 1t is impossible to imagine any situation in which the organized militia or national guard of the several states could be sum moned into the federal service without hardship and inconvenience, and yet both the constitution of the United States and the laws made pursuant thereto recognize these militia and national guard units as the secondary reliance of the government for the protection of the United States and the lives of the citizens of the country.
 Regrets Inconvenences.
 The department regrets these inconveni- ences and hopes that the emergency will rapidly disappear and that there will be such a restoration of order and security on the frontier as will permit the speedy return of these citizen soldiers to their several civilian pursuits.
 Tn the meantime this department has taken steps to mitigate and relieve as far as possible the unusual and exceptional hardships which have arisen in classes especially subject to distress by reason of the service demanded To the extent that that can be done in fact it will be done, but the primary consideration must be the safeguarding of our border and the preser- vation and protection of the lives of our citizens there.