The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1916-09-23
HOW THE WILSON
ADMINISTRATION HAS
PEHALlzED PATRIOTISM.

of the United States from Mexico and
the necessity FOR the proper protection
OF that frontier" President Wilson on
June IS called out the mobile arms OF
the national guard for federal service.
He did not call them ont at their
existing peace strength, but ut war
strength which is practically double.
Lacking system OF reserves. the ma.
honal guard organizations immediate.
" had to start campaign OF recruit.
ing to bring about the desired Increase
in their numbers.
Patriotic young citizens under the
urge OF the cry, Your country needs
YOU! volunteered for service In graf
flying numbers. According to Senator
Chamberlain, chairman OF the senate
committee on military affairs. the re.
suit is that about 1%5,OOO citizen sol.
diers have been mustered into the fed.
eral service and are now on the Mex.
lean 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 or dollars. II
is costing tho individual citizen soldiers
many millions more, They went to tho
front believing the cry. Your country
needs you.' for war service. They soc.
rificed advancement In their civil occu.
paions, severed home ties, suffered in
thousands of instances great financial
loss. The less patriotic, who did not
believe the cry or. believing, declined
to make sacrifices, fatten at home on
these losses.
The real purposes of the cali are
slowly developing. They are two in
number:
First.-A patrol of the border to do
the work which President Wilson'S
friend, Cananza, finds It impossible to
do. Because the recognized govern.
nent in Mexico is too ineffective TO
keep its own citizens in check and pre-.
vent them numbering Americans on
American soil the American govern
ment undertakes the costly task OF
doing that work for them. The muir.
der OF American citizens on Mexican
soil is another matter. Carranza NAV
go ms far MS he likes in that direction.
Second.-A purpose OF the mobillza-
ton on the border and In the camps
is to train citizens 10 perform effective
military service Tho regular military
establishment OF tho nation Is mani.
testify too small COR the actual military
needs. To this extent the cry, Your
country needs YOU" was correct.
But~theSe facts were not made clear
when the call was issued. The idea
was promulgated that men were need.
ed for actual war service, not for mill.
tary training, Deceit was prnctlced.
Opposing in the open legislation for
universal military service, the admin.
istration by its acts has established
what in essence is a system OF com.
pulsory military service. 1t is a sys.
TEN all the more vicious because It
operates only against the patriotic,
whereas legnlized universal training
system equalizcs the burden OF mill.
tnry service among all men and all
classes of men.
When In 1914 Europe plunged into
the greatest war of all history and con.
ditions in Mexico grew intolerable in.
tclligent men realized the fact that It
was incumbent on this nation TO build
up its tiny regular army and put its
other military resources in condition
for use. National safety demanded
this. And yet in December OF that
year, four months after the European
war began, President Wilson went be.
fore congress and declared that all
agitation for military preparedness
was hysterical; that we were ade.
quatcly prepared.
After awhile the administration
changed its mind and professed to be-
lieve in the necessity for preparedness.
First came an enactment to increase
the regular army by 10000. But the
body of the country, and even all
parts of the Democratic administra.
ton could not change front SO quickly
MS the head Recruiting for the regu-
lar army Jagged. Not yet have the
1000 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
bllizahon of the citizen soldiers. 1t
seemed still obsessed with the Bryan
notion that an army could be created
by presidential ukase.
When tho 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. 1t
had made no provision for transport
ing the troops called to the points
where they were required.
Who suffered most by this amazing
lack of foresight, this leaping before
looking?
only the $4,000 patriots who be-
lieved that their country needed them