The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1916-02-25
OPPOSED TO STATES
MILITIA FOR DEFENSE
Former Assistant Secretary of
War Writes Opinions About
Soldering
WRITTEN BY H. S. BRECKEN
RIDGE FOR UNITED PRESS.


militia an adequate military policy
for the nation can be briefly told. The
Constitution of the United States
contemplates two classes of troops
State troops and national troops
state troops for state purposes-na
tional troops for national purposes
with a provision, however, that state
troops may be used for quasi national
purposes in certain contingencies. The
constitution sets forth exactly what the
national government can and cannot
do for the militia. The states, under
the constitution, must appoint the Of
ficers and must have full authority
for the government and training OF
the militia. The state authorities can
disband the militia at any time; can
keep 100 or 1000 or 100000 state
troops without any reference to the
needs or desires of the national gov
eminent The states can appoint and
often do appoint to high position in
the militia men devoid of military
knowledge or training. The forces
for the defense of the nation must
be under the control of the nation.
Military organization and military
operations require absolute unity OF
authority, responsibility and control.
Forty eight Little Armies.
To think of resting the defense OF
the nation upon an aggregation of
forty eight little armies, over which
the national government has not and
cannot obtain control, is to think
something practically unthinkable.
False claims are made that the mill
tia can be made federal force. These
claims are baseless in fact. 1t is inn
possible for the national government,
by passing a militia pay bill, to bride
away from the states jurisdiction
given to the state by the federal con-
stitution. Such bribery of jurisdic-
ton is just as impossible as it is i'm
possible for the congress of the Unit
ed States to make an appropriation OF
$5,906,000 to the state of Kentucky for
good roads, provided the state of
Kentucky sends to the senate of the
United States as its representatives,
John Jones and James Smith. There
is distinct effort to confuse the pub
lie mind and make il believe the mill
tia can be made a national force.
This is preposterous effort willfully
to fool the American people.
Critic of the Militia.
My condemnation of the militia as
a national dependence is a condem-
nation of the system and not of the
personnel The rank and file of the
militia for the most part is made up of
fine, patriotic men who wish to pre-
pare themselves to serve the nation
and. are in the militia because it is
the only present existing military land
force in the United States outside the
regular army. Most of the persistent
and pernieious opposition to the Gre
alton of real national force of citi-
zen soldiers for the defense of the
nation comes from persons purport
ing to represent the rank and file of
the militia. / doubt whether they do
represent the rank and file Of the mill
tia. l notice that most of these OPP
posing individuals are persons having
a selfish interest by reason of their
employment in life, in seeing to it that
the militia is made the only recipient of
support rendered by the national gov
eminent to citizen soldiers. Their OPP
position is to be interpreted in light
of this fact. Nearly every disaster OF
the Revolutionary war and of the
War of 1912 was largely due to the
dependence upon the militia system.
George Washington's main depend
ence in the Revolution was upon the
Continental army, force separate
from the militia and absolutely under
the control of the national govern
ment.
Army Should Not Re Split.
If man is honest minded he must
accept the logical consequences of his
views. If he thinks the army of the
United States should be split up into
forty EIGHT parts, each part entirely
governed by one of the separate
states, also he must believe that the
navy of the United States should be
divided into forty eight parts, each
separate part under the control of a
separate state. He must also believe
that the foreign affairs of the nation
should be managed not by the nation
but by the forty-eight different states
each according to its own interests
and own views. He should logically
contend that the postoffice depart
ment should not be integrated as tC
it's control under one national depart
ment, but should be parcelled out tc
the management of forty eight sep
arate and independent states. The
same should be the mans con-
s. clusion as to the control of commerce
and as to all internal improvements
now conducted by the nation. If there
is any one sphere of governmental
activity where the nation should stand
united, acting as an integrated unit
it is in the preparation for and tht
conduct of the defense of the nation
which may involve the very life o
the nation. The issue is fundamental
and uncompromisable and to fail tt
look these facts squarely in the face
and in this present emergency write
the easily enacted and fundamental
reform that will give to the nation
the control of its defenses, is to tam
per with the country's safety.
From SATURDAYS Daily.