The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1916-09-08
HOW THE WILSON
ADMINS TRATIOh HAS
PENALIzED PATRIOTISM.

Having in view the possibility OF
further aggression upon the territory
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 guard for federal service.
He did not call them out at their
existing peace strength, but at war
strength. which is practically double.
Lacking a system of reserves, the ma
tiOnal guard organizations Immediate
" had to 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 $4,000 citizen sol
diers have been mustered into the fed
eral service and are now on the Mex
lean border or in camp in their home
states. There may be more, but the
administration refuses to make known
the exact figures.
The movement is costing the public
treasury many millions Of dollars; it
Is 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
riiced advancement in their civil occu-
pations, severed home ties, suffered in
thousands of instances great financial
loss. The less patriotic, who did not
believe the cry or, believing, declined
to make sacrifices. fatten at home on
these losses.
The real purposes of the call are
slowly developing They are two in
number:
First.-A patrol of the border to do
the work which President Wilson's
friend, Carranza, finds it impossible to
do Because the recognized govern
ment in Mexico is too ineffective to
keep it's own citizens in check and pre-
vent them numbering Americans on
American soil the American govern
ment undertakes the costly task of
doing that work for them. The muir
der of American citizens on Mexican
soil is another matter Carranza may
go as far as he likes in that direction.
Second.-A purpose of the mobiliza-
ton on the border and in the camps
is to train citizens to perform effective
military service. The regular military
establishment of the nation is mani
testify too small cor the actual military
needs. To this extent the cry, ''Your
country needs you," was correct.
But these facts were 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
istration by it's acts has established
what in essence is system of com
pulsory military service. 1t is a sys-
tenn all the more vicious because it
operates only against the patriotic,
whereas a legalized universal training
system equalizes the burden of mill
tary service among all men and all
classes of men.
When in 1914 Europe plunged into
the greatest war of all history and con-
ditions in Mexico grew intolerable in
telligent men realized the fact that it
was incumbent on this nation to build
up it's tiny regular army and put it's
other military resources in condition
for use. National safety demanded
this. And yet in December of that
year, four months after the European
war began, President Wilson went be-
fore congress and declared that all
agitation for military preparedness
was hysterical that we were ade
quately prepared.
After awhile the administration
changed it's mind and professed to be-
ieve in the necessity for preparedness.
First came an enactment to increase
the regular army by 10000 But the
body of the country, and even all
parts of the Democratic adminiStra
ton, could not change front SO quickly
as the head Recruiting for the regu-
lar army Jagged Not yet have the
10000 been secured.
The need pressed. A new national
defense act. providing for still more
men in the regular army, was enacted
But still the men were not forthcom-
ing.
Suddenly and without warning the
administration issued its call for mo-
bilization of the citizen soldiers. 1t
seemed still obsessed with the Bryan
notion that an army could be created
by presidential ukase.
When the call went out the govern
ment did not own enough uniforms.