The Ontario Argus. (Ontario, Or.) 1???-1947, 1916-10-12
HOW THE WILSON
ADMINISTRATION HAS
PENALlzED PATRIOTISM.

| ihNllg III Wow tue possibility Of
! further aggression upon the territory
I 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 gunrd for federal ser vice.
He did not call them out at their
existing pence strength. but at war
strength. which Is practically double.
Lacking n system OF reserves. tho ma.
tionnl guard organizations Immediate.
ly had 10 start a 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
your 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 10000 citizen sol.
dicrS have been mustered into tho fed.
eral service aud are now on the Mex
lean border or In camp ia their home
states. There may BE- more. but the
administration refuses to make known
the exact figuns.
The movement Is costing the public
treasury many millions " dollars. Il
In costing the Individual citizen soldiers
many millions more. They went TO the
front believing the cry "Your country
needs YOU" for war service. They sac.
rilccd advancement IN their civil occu.
pntlons. seycred homo ties. suffered In
thousands Of Instances great financial
loss. Tho les patriotic. who did not
believe the 0y or, believing. declined
10 make s1rdhces. falten nc home on
thee lo,sp,
The real purposes of the call are
slowly Developing They are two In
number:
First.-A patrol of the border 90 do
the work which President Wilson's
friend, Carnnm. finds Il impossible 20
do. Because the recognized govern
mcnt In Mexico II too ineffective 10
keep its own citizens IN check ana pre-,
vent them numbering Americans on
American soil the American govern.
ment undertakes the costly task OF
doing that work for them. The mur
der OF American citizens on Mexican
soil Is another matter Carranza may
20 NJ far as be likes In that direction.
seccnd.-A purpose OF the mobilizn'
tlon ON the border and In the camps
Is TO train citizens 30 perform effective
military service. Ths regular military
esta abllshment OF the nation Is mani.
testify TOO small 'or the actual military
needs To this extent the cry, Your
country needs you" was correct
But these facts We're 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 practiced.
Opposing In the open legislation for
universal military service, the admin
lstratIon BY It's acts has established
what in essence is a system OF com
pulsory military service. II Is a sys'
TEN all the more vicious because II
operates only against the patriotic
whereas legalized universal training
system equalizes 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 ana con
dItions IN Mexico grew intolerable In
telIlgent men realized the fact that II
was INCUMBENT on this nation TO build
mn its dny regular army and put It's
other military resources In condition
for pse National safety demanded
this And yet in December OF that
wear four months after the European
war began. President Wilson went be,
fore congress and declared that all
agitation for military preparedness
was historical; that we were aue'
quately prepared ,...,o.
After awhile the administration
chanped its mind and professed 10 De-
I,eve IN the necessity for preparedness
First came an enactment to increase
tbe regular army by 10000 But the
hodv of the country, and even all
osrts of the Democratic administra'
t,on could not change front SO quickly
os ,he head. Recruiting for the regu'
lar army Jagged. Not yet have the
10000 been secured. .,,oooi
The need pressed. A new national
defense act. providing for stlll -.', more
men in the regular army was enacted enacted,
Put % stin the men were not for'heom'
ing ..,,o tho
suddenly aud without warning lhe
s'atnistration issued its call for mo-
SillzatIon of the citizen soldiers. II
ssamed still obsessed with the Bryan
-. an army could be created