The sun., 1916-11-30
AGREE
SYSTEM Is FAILURE
Members Of Returning Seventh
Say Compulsory Training
Is Nations Hope.
SAIL MUST SHARE ALIKE"
Col. Fisk Says He Believes All
Members Of Regiment
Share His Views.

When ~guardsmen Just back from i've
months on the Mexican border raise their
right hands and assure their Joyful rela-
tives that they'll never reenlist. 30 help
them. and that the militia is going to
die for lack Of recruits. what they say
should Be seriously considered but not
construed too literally.
Right In the armory OF the Seventh
New York Regiment II was recalled yes
terday hat men Of the militia talked
Just as dismaliy when they returned
from the much harsher experience OF the
spanish American war. Recruiting was
indeed slow for a long time. but eventu-
ally 1t picked up and the regiments re-
gained a fairly adequate peace roster.
The truth Is hat at the immediate
moment most Of the Seventh's men feel
as II they had all the soldering they
need and Will drop out for good when
their period Of enlistment Is ended. But
present1y-so some Of the older officers
said yesterday-ths hardships n the
f~ootiessness of the long Texan
s~ojourn will be erased and their
memories will retain only the fun an6
novelty n hard richness of their exile
and knowledge Of the good II did their
bodies.
Hay 8iIl Called Failure.
This does not apply. Of course. to those
who lost their Jobs or whose families
suffered through their absence. OF such
men. however. there are fewer In the
seventh than perhaps In any other regi-
nen that was called into the Federal
service
But there V one matter in which the
whole regiment. from Col. Fisk down. IL
unanimously and permanently convinced.
That Ia tina the United States is never
going to solve It's military problem by
means OF the system now in force under
the Hay bill. or by anything else short
OF universal training. This was the
only matter regarding which Col. Fisk
was willing to be quoted yesterday.
This regiment" he said. has no
kickers. We did not complain In Texas
n We are not going to here. We went
out when ordered. We did what was pre-
scribed without question. were back and
we're happy. But l have come back
stronger In the belief hat ! held long
before the mobiiixation-that this coun-
try must have some system whereby its
men will share equally in the duties A.
well as the privileges Of citizenship II
may be in adaptation OF the Swiss or
the Australian system OF home defense,
but whatever 1t Is must be universal.
I believe that the whole regiment feels
AS I do"
without question the regiment as a
whole does feel that way. II isn't the
%privations they endured. II isn't the
army food that remains In their memo.
ries as an irritation. Reports about
bad food were mostly rot" an officer
said. 1T WAS just army rat!ons and
therefore . temporary shock to the boyv
who had been lunching at the Savarin."
The resentment they feel is against
having been used as policemen when
they thought when they enlisted that
they would be called upon only for
emergency duty. against the fact that II
there had been real trouble In Mexico
there wouldn't have been enough OF
them to cope with IL. against a system
which kept them waiting on the alkaii
flats while several millions OF just as
able boded citizens were staying at home
and sliding into Their Jobs. some OF
them-without learning even to know
the butt OF q rife from the muzzle.
There IL no moro naturally athletic
militia regiment. zone better trained
its men realize now ne ,hev nava a.
before. how inadeouats 10 yoi,n,..r u,m,
tia training for th. severi,v ~, sa,a
service "'N
+,
Their Tr.lui,r I~uv.,,.h. '
Yet they have been acting as first line
troops IN Texas' so far as there was any
INST line. That In, the guard units have
Funston. doing and liable to do the same
thew you'd have hs.r ,hrovn y. va,
1xhtino yVi,hout ,hro-,,nr ~ sIsua'
duets at them..lve. th. OUu
ruardsmen feel Tho, ,h., eli, u.""e
ouit thoms.ivs. aha, .Ouu INV &c
Iar. r,i,h VIC" 80 'esu-
Ant n o. thror-h ~ w,n.v
emf svst.m thsv ~. 'ne pres
p%or,nnitv ~ to.rha, VA my NAG OPP