The Richfield recorder. (Richfield, Idaho) 1909-1931, 1916-07-21

cording to precedence and length OF
service. That was his political right
of course. But Crow was thus made
the head of the state troops; he had
no regimental standing whatsoever.
The state was asked to send one regl-
ment=the Second Idaho Accord
ing to every line of army precedence,
Crow had no place in the regiment;
it was his place to remain with the
state organization, which might be
of many regiments, troops, batteries,
engineer corps. He was and is, as his
Office must always be, ''tin-soldier
or peace officer in politics. When
Lieut.. Colonel Mccall of the old regi-
mental organization was turned down
on physical examination, it gave
Crow no moral right to butt into the
regiment, as lieutenant colonel, when
it was recruited as a regiment of the
old state guard and not as new vol
unteer regiment. Crow had the legal
right, perhaps, because the governor,
cheap politician, appointed him.
But it was absolutely insulting to the
regular members of the militia, who
have made the regiment, to have this
upstart Crow thrown into their regi-
mental organization ahead of his reg
mental superiors in rank. The apol-
ogists for the governor will have a
lifetime's job to make any thinking
person believe that Grow had earned
that place; he was politician, a po-
litical tool of the governors both IN
peace and in the war organization.
fed to represent the state and the
nation in uniform in time of peace,
they were equally so in time OF war.
1t was announced from the govern
or's Office, by his personal organ, that
he would not sanction any other regi-
mental recruiting than the organized
militia. That meant that he intend
ed to seem to play the game of reco5-
nizing the old organization. He did
MT do it; he had to have place for
his Grow who was not in line for a
general command. The governor, a
political schemer,. felt that he must
hold some political control of the
regiment, even by displacing the men
who we're Crows superiors in rank
and no one has ever doubted their
equality in ability.
From the governors Office has
come the howl of politics.; that the
officers who sought to displace Crow
we're republicans, therefore they were
the state and the nation
by injecting politics into the matter.
all the politics" was the
foisting of this democratic politician
Crow upon an organization that the
governor called upon as body to
step forth as soldiers and bring them
selves and their organization into
service. They came-and he violated
every principle of honorable prece-
lence to affront them by his political
lemand 1t is true that the war de-
)artment recognized MS right -
hat is, he is still in command of the
tate troops, and can appoint whom
lie will But it is absolutely no vim
ication of the governor; it was a
heap, contemplate injection of poll
les on his part, to force his political
enchman upon the patriotic organ
zation where he had no standing.
hen to cry politics" and ''unpat-
iotism and insults" at the men who
id no more than stand for their mil
airy rights as men, is the most con-
smptible thing of ALL
1t was an unfortunate incident. But
lie ill-bred political boorishness of
lie governor, and not the ambitions
the regimental officers, was the
art and the finish of the whole mat
II.