Charlevoix county herald., 1916-09-01
How the Wilson
Administrators Has
PenahZed Patriotism


Of the United Statss from Meatso sn&
the necessity for the proper ppuaep
ton OF that frontier" President ".
son. on June Is. called out the mdlyA
arms Of the National Guard for fsAdnn1
service.
Ee did not call them out ct tha1p
existing peace strength, but at was
strength. which Is practically dovbos.
Lacking a system Of reserves, The
National Guard organizations immedk
itely had to start a campaign Of TO
cruiting. to bring about the desired m
crease In their numbers.
Patriotic young citizens, under tbs
urge OF the cry. Your country needs
you," volunteered for service In gxaAks
tying numbers. According to seaasU
Chamberlain. chairman Of the Senate
Committee on Military Affairs, the re-
suit Is that about 1876, 900 citizen SOL
diers have been mustered into tho
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
viz cAoSb 10 IA Cns
The movement Is costing the public
treasury many millions of dollars: II
Is costing the individual citizen SOL
diers many millions more. They went
to the front believing the cry, "Your
country needs YOU" for war Service
| They sacrificed advancement In their
civil occupations, severed homo ties.
suffered, In thousands of instances,
great financial loss. The less pa
triotic, who did not believe the cry, On
believing, declined to make sacrifices,
fatten 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 ana
prevent them numbering Americans
on American soil, the American gov.
eminent rndert ,kss the costly task Of
doing that work Tor them. The muir
der Of American citizens on Mexican
soil Is another matter. Carransa may
go as far as he likes In that direction.
Second, a purpose of the mobilisa.
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.
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
military training. Deceit was prac
ticed.
Opposing in the open legislation 70,
universal military service, the admin,
istration by its acts has establishe ed
what In essence is a system of com.
pulsory military service. It Is q sys.
tenn all the more vicious because II
operates only against the patriotic,
whereas legalized universal training
system equalizes the burden OF mill.
tary service among all men and an
classes OF men.
When. in 1914, Europe plunged into
the greatest war of all history, and
conditions in Mexico grew intolerable
intelligent men realized the fact that
1t was incumbent on this nation 10
build up its tiny regular army and pSA
its other military resources In condf
ton for use. National safety demando6
| fhfQ Aud IN Of H.
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 ado
quately prepared.
After while the administration
changed its mind and professed b
believe In the necessity for prepared
ness. First came am enactment ID
But the body of the country, and even
all parts OF the Democratic admins
tration, could not change front %
quickly as the head. Recruiting foa
the regular army Jagged. Not yei
have the 10000 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 les oaal for mo
Utilization of the citizen soldiery. \
seemed stin obsessed with the Bryan
notion that an army could be created
by presidential ukase.
When the call went out the govern
meut did not own enough untfo1ma
shoes. socks, blankets, hats, wagonA
trucks. horses, mules and other thingl
essential to equip the men called; II
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 ieaptng be-
fore lookfng7
Only the $4,000 patriots who b.
lieved that their country needed them
for national defense: only the men