Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1916-07-02
militia LOST
EQUIPMENT
Writer Says Government Has
Found State Property
/ Unaccounted for
Unaccounted for
ny M. KERRY

Washington, D. c., July 1-Woeful
Encouragement of the state militia
of the country is revealed by the call
for national guardsmen to go to the
Mexican border!
The brave boys of the rank and file
answered the call, but troop move
ments were delayed because the mill
tia is short of uniforms; short of
shoes; short Of equipment; cavalry
are without horses; artillery are with
out guns; engineers are without wag-
Dns.
And there is information on file
here that from January J., 1912, to
June 80, 1915, property valued at
$1,352,761.14 furnished by the United
States government to the national
guard disappeared.
And all this, in time of crisis, de-
spite the fact that in 1914 the war
department issued circular notify
ing the state authorities that the men
Of the militia must be equipped up to
the minimum of requirements, that is,
that they must have at least one uni.
form and complete outfit of rifle and
kit.
Following this notification, the 1915
inspection showed that just one state
Observation-Disclosures uniformed and
equipped as prescribed.
Upon being notified that federal
funds would be withheld during the
fiscal year of 1916, unless the defects
were remedied, 80 states fastened to
provide this minimum equipment.
Whatever other sins the regular
army may have to answer for, it can
not be charged with inefficiency in
handling the militia. The men in the
militia ranks and( in large part, the
officers in command, are earnest in
the purposes to serve the country.
They are not responsible.
Commenting on the reports of regu-
lar army inspectors, directed to make
actual accounts of all federal prop
erty in the possession of the state
troops, Gen. A. L. Mills, chief of mill
tia affairs, says:
"The figures proved beyond doubt
that majority of state property &C
counts contained no information what
ever beyond mere statement of &C
countability. The returns were with
out value for any other purpose. s.
"The authorities of the organized
militia of many states have for years
simply failed and neglected to take
adequate measures to cause their ac-
countability to agree with the actual
state of the property"
The war department found some of
these conditions to be. that result OF
years Of mismanagement by politi-
clans long out OF Office.
!. Accordingly. there was nothing to
DO but to drop from the property &C
counts material valued at $495, 49,. 83.
q Where this procedure could not be
followed the department allowed
these long-standing shortages to be
dropped from the current return and
carried on a separate list.
II During the year of 1918, twelve
states took advantage of this, and in
1914 the number has increased to %,
with but one state Illinois) clearing
up its shortage.
Matters we're going from bad to
worse, so the department announced
that this privilege would terminate
June 80, 1915. AS result, some of
the state managed to find" the lost
property, and $58,08381 was recover
ed or the loss satisfactorily accounted
for, els
But the state officials got busy with
congress, asking for legislative action
granting them relief from this
shortage, and the governors Of at
least two states appealed to the Sec
rotary of war, asking that charge
for the property lost be not made, as
such action would have a disastrous
effect on their militia.
Because congress was about to take
action to relieve" the states, the Sec
rotary of war extended the time for
the final settlement from July 1, 1915,
to July 1, 1916.
Gen. Mills announces the result in
his last annual report: Nothing has
since been done in connection with
this matter( and as far as this Office
is informed the states concerned i'm.
mediately ceased efforts to recover,
account for, or reduce the shortages
concerned"
In addition to this property, large
amount has been lost, stolen and de-
stroyed in the various states as a re-
suit of failure to exercise reasonable
care against theft, fire and the ele-
ments.
The only recourse the government