The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1916-12-23
FOR COMPULSORY SERVICE.
SECRETARY BAKER GIVES QUAIL
IF1ED ENDORSEMENT OF NEW
MILITARY Foley.
Obligation to Serve Is Universal, Scr.
rotary Says. but Thinks Question Is
One Of Practice Rather Than The
DRY.

ton for some form of compulsory
military service In the United States
received qualified support from Sec
rotary Baker today before the house
military committee. encouraging op-
ponents Of the present volunteer sys-
tenn to expect that legislation FOR a
change might be framed which would
DO sanctioned by Mr.. Baker and DOS.
sioiy b. President Wilson himself. The
president has said he would not at
tempt'to reach a decision on the sub
Jcct until a definite plan was placed
beforeihim.
Replying to d direct question as 70
his vie$s on compulsory military ser
vice. secretary Baker said:
Tho obligation to serve The coun.
try ise UNIVERSAL one. The question
OF how 10 bring about preparation for
national defense is one Of policy
rather than theory. Whether uni
versai military service or a selective
CONSUMPTION n the correct answer I
DO not know. The theory of a com-
mon interest In a oIum
would he satisfied by n method Of
selecting soldiers that was not volun-
tary In character"
The secretary tstd the comnittse
that since congress hsuf rejected the
continental army plan In favor of the
National Guard system he believed
the guard should be given a fair trial.
He did not ampiify his suggestion In
regard to the ~seiective conservation.
~ 10 known that he has been study
Ing the question Of the proper basis
OF military service. II is understood
the plan under consit eration con.
templates che making Of an inventory
Of men In the country and devising
q means whereby every citizen would
be made liable in a war emergency
Tor the character Of work for which
he Is best fitted.
Mr.. Baker will soon appear before
the senate subcommittee on the
Chamberlain universal lrainine bin
Ma. Gen. Hugh La fcott. CHIEF ar
STAN. wa again before the subcom.
'nittss' today. urging universal ser.
VICE lssislatton. ana sr,bnittins The
xsport-sae-thS mobiiistsion Of me
National Guard for border duty COM
Piled by Col. w. C. Brown.
The conclusion OF the senerAi
star. Gen. Scott said. that no ade-
quate defense could be built up I'M.
der the present volunteer system
was fully substantiAted by the re.
ports OF departmental commanders,
Observation-Disclosures and Others, in
cluded In Col. Browns compilation.
which disclosed vital and inherent
faults In the National Guard system.
Col. Grown. who commanded the
cavalry under Gen. Pershing.
and led the detachment which deart
the most severe punishment to the
villa bandits, was before The commit
tee and told of the hardshfps the
troops In Mexico encountered. ad-
ding that only thoroughly trained
and animals could have stood
the strain.
The mobilization report shows that
OF $4,000 enlisted men of the mill
Tia Inspected on the border. Sits.
OF 81 per cent. were either trans
from militia organizations not
called out or were new recruits, leav-
only ~ per cent o. the force
representing the National Guard or
organized militia element on the
rolls OF the organizations In question
Mt the date of call"
or those who were on the rolls m
Time Of the call. according to the
1887 were lost FOR various
causes during the period of transition
into the federal service. making the
Guard as II wont to the
border substantially a volunteer force.
of tho number lost 1864 failed TO
respond to the call at all and 90
III were rejected for physical disa.
biiity. $50
As to the training OF the force be-
fore IT reached the border the re-
port says 60 per cent. or 81. 1893 men.
had had less than three months mil
training OF any kind and more
Than $4,000 none at all.
Turning TO the craftsmanship of
state troops. the report shows
that 5e.s13 icy had fired n mill |
tary rife. and that more than 1000
had received rating of less
than first class at the targets.
An active campaign for militia re-
carried on all over the United
from July 1 TO October 81, con-