Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1916-08-18
How the Wilson
Administration Has
PenaliZed Patriotism


the necessity for the proper protec-
ton Of that frontier" President Viii
son, on June Is, called out the mobile
arms of the National Guard for federal
service.
He did not call them out at their
existing peace strength. but at wal
strength, which Is practically double.
Lacking a system of reserves, the
National Guard organizations immedi-
ntely had to start a campaign of re-
cruiting, to bring about the desired in
crease in their numbers.
Patriotic young citizens, under the
urge of the cry, Your country needs
you" volunteered for service in graft
tying numbers. According to Senator
Chamberlain, chairman of the Senate
Committee on Military Affairs, the re-
suit Is that about 1876 900 citizen SOL
'diers have been mustered into the
federal service and are now on the
Mexican border or in camp in their
home states. There may be more, but
the administration refuses to make
known the exact figures.
The movement Is costing the public
treasury many millions .of dollars; it
Is costing the individual citizen SOL
lfers many millions more. They vent
to the front believing the cry, Your
country needs you," for war service.
They sacrificed advancement in their
civil occupations, severed home ties,
suffered, In thousands Of instances,
great financial loss. The less pa
triotic, who did not believe the cry. or
believing, declined to make sacrifices,
tatten at home on these losses.
The real purposes of the call are
slowly developing. They are two in
number:
First, a patrol of the border TO do
the work which President Wilson's
friend, Carranza, finds It impossible
to do. Because the recognized govern
ment in Mexico is too ineffective to
keep It's own citizens in check and
prevent them numbering Americans
on American soil, the American gov
eminent undertakes the costly task Of
doing that work for them. The muir
der OF American citizens on Mexican
soil is another matter. C~arranza may
&c as far as he likes in that direction
Second, a purpose of the mobiliza-
ton on the border and in the camps
Is to train citizens to perform effective
military service. The regular military
establishment of the nation Is mani
testify too small for the actual military
needs. To this extent the cry, "Your
country needs you." was correct.
n..A NO. 49, -
when the call was issued. The idea
vas promulgated that men were need.
o actual war service; az ruI
military training. Deceit was prac.
ticed.
y Opposing in the open legislation for
universal military service, the admin.
istration by it's acts has established
what in essence Is a system of com
pulsory military service. It is a sys.
TEN all the more vicious because 1t
operates only against the patriotic,
whereas a legalized universal training
system equalizes the burden of mill
tary service among all men and all
classes of men.
When, in 1914, Europe plunged into
h greatest war of all history, n
conditions in Mexico grew intolerable,
intelligent men realized the fact that
DIT was incumbent on this nation to
build UP its tiny regular army and put
its other military in condi-
ton for use. National safety demanded
this. And yet, in December of that
year, four months after the European
wal began, President Wilson went be
fore Congress and declared that all
agitation for military preparedness
was hysterical; that we were ade-
quately prepared.
After a while the administration
changed its mind and professed to
believe in the necessity for prepared.
ness. First came an enactment to
increase the regular army by 10000.
But the body of the country, and even
sall parts of the Democratic admins
t~ration, could not change front so
quickly as the head. Recruiting for
the regular army Jagged. Not yet
have the $1,000 been secured.
The need pressed. A new national
: defense act, providing for still more
men in the regular army, was enacted.
]But still the men were not forthcom-
ing.
Suddenly and without warning the
administration issued its call for mo-
Utilization of the citizen soldiery. 1t
seemed still obsessed with the Bryan
< notion that an army could be created
by presidential ukase.
When the call went out the govern
ment did not own enough uniforms,
shoes, socks, blankets, hats, wagons,
trucks, horses, mules and other things
essential to equip the men called; it
had made no provision for transport
ing the troops called to the points
where they were required.
Who suffered most by this amaz-
ing lack of foresight, this leaptng be-