The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-02-23
UNFAIR CRITICISM
OF NATIONAL GUARD
MILITIAMEN SAY

| What the militia can do and what
it cannot do, is a popular topic of con-
!Wersation today, both in the groups OF
the regular army, the national guard
organizations and the common people
who want some form of prepared
ness,'' but cannot tell what they want,
| because of the lack of proper technical
knowledge. That Congress is going
ahead plans to make the militia
more efficient, there can be no ques-
I ton; the thing that is now worrying
the officers of the Connecticut Ma
ional Guard. in common with guard
officers of other states, is whether the
war department. will take full advan-
! tage of the opportunities to train these
volunteer military students which will
/ be put by Congress in the hands of
/ the department authorities.
| The complaint of the general staff of
the army and of soldiers of the reg
tular army has always been that state
nliEtias are not amenab1e to federal
! training. They argue that. as long as
the state has any power at all; any
decisive measures the division Of mil
itia affairs or other competent author
! ity might take to whip the states
troops into line, would be CLOSED over
and rendered innocuous by local au-
thorities. More than ten years ago
j the National Guard association met
and formulated set of rules which
were made law, and which sought to
overcome the difficulties which result
| ed from the call for troops in 1898. AS
| well as could be, the national guard
! officers sought to place the training
| Of state troops in the hands of the
war. department. Inspector instruc-
tors from the regular establishment
were authorized, as were sergeant IN
| Structors for enlisted men. The uni
forming and equipment of state troops
were put in the hands Of federal a.l1-
thorities, and it was made a law that
| any state failing to come up to the re-
! quirement of the federal government
! could not receive federal funds for
| support.
This law has UNNECESSARILY bene-
! flied and bettered the state troops.
Under it the Tin Soldier element has
| almost disappeared; there are no
| troops who get a cent of federal mon
! ey unless they comply with federal
i requirements. Fuss and feathers were
| done away with and state officers and
men bent every effort to make them
| selves into efficient soldiers in the
1 time allowed them.
/ The charge was made short time
| ago by Henry Ruterdahl, that mo
man of the state militia ever fired a
service charge from his rifle with full
pack and equipment on his back"
This writer did not know, or did not
| care to know, that the new service
pack has not yet been issued to or
! CARNATIONS of the National Guard,
and that the regular troops are only
partially equipped with them. More
! over, in the old ''skirmish runs" since
! abolished by the war department. the
| National Guardsman was required to
/ fire a certain number of shots at va
| rious distances with blanket roll, hav-
ersaclI and other field equipment
! hitched around him, The same man
makes the charge that no National
| Guard command ever made a camp
under canvas in the winter time. Who
| expects men who are soft from the
CITY to make a practice camp in the
winter? is asked. Such camps made
for pure purposes of training have
been very rare in the regular army.
He also says that the Connecticut
troops returned from the Boston ma
npeuvers in 1912 in terrible condition.
! State reports show that the men of
| troops from this state came back we'll
fed and with an extra ration in their
haVersack
Aside from all this, 1t does not ap-
pear that the National Guard has had
etfair chance" Admitting that all
| the charges made against National
| Guard infantry are true, the war de-
paFtnent's argument is that the Dick