The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1916-10-03

80 hh1AA NVhAtAs . uEttuHEs w ny
remains in the state camp am IN
able TO say and Summers does not
know: I have the highest regard fol
the United States army and am not
disposed to question the action OF the
war department In delaying the reGi.
ments departure. feel certain n
will go to the border In the ncnl
future, and | do not hesitate to pre-
dict that 1t viii make a most credit
able showing.
There Is no quarrel between the
First regiment and the adjutant gem
erals office. as Summers would have
the people believe. Every officer who
reads his orders, and II | knew OF
one who did not he would be sum
marily relieved OF his command.
knows that for nearly two years the
war department has prescribed one
regiment of infantry and certain
auxiliary troops for West Virginia.
For years the state has had two good
infantry regiments and the files OF
the war department will show that
| have recommended that both regi-
ments be recognized and maintained
rather than dlsband one In order to
organize the auxiliary troops. Under
| the new law state can maintain
| only such troops as are prescribed
through the secretary OF war. and in
/ my opinion the First regiment will
| continue Intact. | have not tried to
dlsband It and have not been ordered
by the war department to do so. III
It was saved" by Senator Chiffon
and Congressman Nicely, as sum
mers says. II is news TO me.
Within the last week Senator
Chiffon visited the mobilization camp
and assured us that the regiment
would go TO the border within a
couple of weeks. He seemed proud
OF the regiment and did not intimate
that he Is in any way responsible for
its being held because II has proved
such failure the war department
does not dare send it to the 'front.'.
Senator Chiffon expressed much sat
isfaction with the outfit as he found
1t.
Il do not know whether or not
Congressman Nicely is guilty Of what
Summers says of him. The First
congressional district, which Con-
gresham Nicely hopes to continue to
represent, is in the territory Of the
First regiment. Except when cam
patgning for votes among the organ
lied laborlng men of the district,
| Nicely claims to be staunch friend
OF the national guard. He was for
merly a major In the First infantry
and seemed proud OF it at the time.
He may hope to corral the national
I guard vote in his district by having
summers tell them that he saved the
First regiment, at time when it was
not assaulted, but he should offer
something at least plausible. Neely's
friends have stated that he would 20
to the secretary OF war and see to it
that the Second regiment would never
move to the border but / am loath
to believe that even a Democratic
secretary OF war would block the en-
tire scheme for national defense,
carefully planned by the general stan,
in order that Mr.. Nicely might prob
ably gain few votes. and at the
same time create dissension, il not
in fact characterization. among Off
GERS by trying to tell them that they
4 were being given the worst of II by
the adjutant general OF the state.
Il regret that the Democratic press
| agent has seen ut to attempt to in
ject politics into the mobilization.
With exception of tho time taken for
distributing relief TO the flood vic
Tins Of Cabin creek and Coal river
my entire time, since the mobiliZa-
ton was ordered, has been given to
the work in the hope that good
showing may be made for the state.
Partisan politics has not entered into
it. There have been no favors. Every
man has had to do his duty or suffer
the consequences. There may be a
majority of officers in the Second who
are Republicans; majority may be
Democrats; do not know and | do
not want to know.
an many things do not agree
with the president OF the United
States; but he directed a mobilIza-
ton according to Law and West Vlr-
ginia has not failed to do her part
Enlistments have been rather slow
but no more so than in other states.
Summers's article is reflection upon
the state and an insult to the man
hood and intelligence OF the men who
compose the Second regiment. II, be-
cause our politics is different, Sum
mers must relieve himself of
crouch, let him hit at me directly
and not at the Second regiment of
tubf p1, ha uf tn Iu