El Nuevo mexicano., 1916-06-29
Finish 1t Up

New Mexico has not done what she
should. considering her size and the fact
that she IS a border state which has been
invaded, to furnish men for service at the
international boundary, 20 protect her own
citizens and discharge he's duty toward the
country.
With a population Of considerably over a
third Of a million, New Mexico has sent
all told 1900 men to the border, a thousand
of whom rave passed the examination and
gone into training for federal service.
New Mexico has sent a tenth of what
she might easily send were her young men
alive to the fact that the reputation of the
state is at stake. Had she raised 5000
men, even, the example to the rest Of the
states would have been one never to be
forgotten and would have permanently es-
tablished the fame OF this state for patriot
ism and manhood.
The New Mexican believes the snirit to
do this exists in New Mexico; but for
various reasons it has not yet been awak-
ened. Some of these reasons have been
llluded to. In the minds of many there Is
! prejudice, chiefly ill-founded, against the
rational guard as an institutions there is
he same unwillingness in this state as in
rthers to he bothered" or taken away from
lollargetting and earning q livelihood to
70 into military service; the sraallness Of
he pay makes it impossible, save in the
'see of an emergency that cannot be side
-tepped. for the man with a family to leave
his work. Probably the first call for regu-
lar army volunteers would bring a greater
9esponse than has a months work in try
ing to recruit one regiment Of the guard
70 peace strength,
This IS the showing New Mexico has
made compared to what she should do
without reference to anyone else. When we
compare her record with that of the other
states, however, New Mexico has done we'll,
Texas, with thirteen times the population,
has raised only three regiments compared
with the one of New Mexico; she lacks ten
regiments Of doing as we'll as New Mexico
has done. Go into the eastern states and
the comparison is equally as striking; and
while our mobilization was not hs quick
rs it should have been, it was more eff
cient than that Of many of the eastern
states; and no member of our guard or
ganization "renigged"; we needed no court
martial for slackers as Texas did.
The w~eeding-out process has given New
Mexico close to a peace-strength regiment
of clean, able-bodied, strong, efficient sol
diers at the border. A month and a half of
breaking In has made these men hard and
fit and ready for the field. They win make
good soldiers, every man Jack of them.
Their morale is splendid.
With such a showing it would be a great
misfortune II the state failed to raise the
sixty additional men needed in order that
the guard may be mustered into federal
service as a unit and maintain its identity.
We don't want the companies merged and
lost in the ranks of the federal army. We
want to know what the First Regiment. New
Mexico National Guard, in Federal Service,
is doing on the border-and soon, I'M
1oubtedly, in Mexico. We want to follow
the fortunes Of our regiment with pride as
It marches and fights; and there is good
reason to believe that 1t is going to be
fighting. We want the country to be able
10 see the performance and the record of
the New Mexico Regiment; we don't want
our boys lost in the shuttle. Now more than
ever before state pride should bring forth
young men-only sixty Of them-to finish
Up the job that we have started.
The month and a half spent on the Dor
der has made men already of a number of
the boys who enlisted. They are better
men physically; they are on a strict regi.
men, they are well fed and cared for, dis
cipline has stiffened their moral fiber, they
are strictly prohibited the excuses into
which idle youths are so likely to drift,
they viii come out of service in splendid
shape to make better citizens. The denun-
by Colonel Abbott yesterday of
those who would warn young men away
from the immortality Of the army was
lust and timely.
We need less than three men from each
Of the counties of New Mexico to fill up
the regiment and keep It New Mexico's
distinct regiment. It ought to be easy to
get them. For the name of New Mexico,
It is to be hoped they will come forward
promptly. Surely there are three men in \
every county in this state who can do this
serious sacrifice, to help New Mex
leo make good.