South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-12-29
ALL MEN LIABLE
FOR WAR DUTY
President May Draft Them to
Fill Guard Vacancies,
Says Circular.

WASHINGTON. Dec. 29.-Every
able bodied male citizen of the Unit
ed States between the ages OF is and
45 years is held liable for service
in the national guard in war time,
without further act Of congress. by
war department regulations for the
government of the guard issued un-
der the national defense act. In
circular prepared nearly two months
ago but made public only Thursday,
the militia bureau directs that
where a national guard regiment
is called out for war service, a re-
serve training battalion to fill va
cancies at the front shall be or
ganized out of the national guard
reserve and by voluntary enlistment.
III for any reason" the order
continues, there shall not be
enough reservists or enough volun-
tary enlistments 10 organize or TO
keep the reserve battalions at pre-
scribed strength, a sufficient num-
Der of the unorganized militia shall
be drafted by the president to main
tain such battalion or other lesser
strength"
All Able Bodied Included.
The language follows closely that
of the national defense act, in which
the unorganized militia is defined as
including every able bodied male
citizen within the prescribed age
limit or those who have declared
their intention OF becoming citi-
zens.
The national guard regulations.
which will be amplified in great de
tail later, also strike at the problem
of dependent families of soldiers
which has cost the government sew
eral millions of dollars already
through the border mobilization.
Recruiting officers for the national
guard are directed 10 discourage the
enlistment of married men or those
with others dependent upon them
Such persons are to be accepted
only for reasons in the public inter-
est, men who wish TO become Of
ficers being the only class specific
ally exempted.
1t is provided i'm the regulations
that no officer of the guard hereaf-
ter shall not be recognized as such
under the defense act unless he
shall have subscribed TO an oath
binding him to obey the orders of
the president and of the governor
of his state. Appointments will be
made oil recommendation to the sec
rotary of war from governors or the
commanding officers of state or ter
ritorial units of the guard, and after
proper physical and mental exam
ination by boards of officers Pro-
motions will be handled in the same
way and any officer who fails in the
examination as to his professional
ability cannot come up for re-eX-
animation within a year.
Must Serve Three Years.
After three years active service or
when the organizations are disband-
ed, national guard officers may pass
into the national guard reserve.
The reserve is TO remain an unOr-
ganized body in peace times except
for temporary purposes. II will be
composed of men who have served
three years in active organizations
and whose enlistment contracts will
require them TO serve three more in
the reserve unless they have seen
active service. They will hold the
same rank in the reserve that they
held at the time of furlough from
active service, except that when
drafted into the federal service they
will report in the grade of private