The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1916-07-27

the letters, as has been said, will not be
the product of Sinking and Stacking
but Of resentment soundly based. They
don t want to be professional soldiers.
Whether they are right or wrong in
this view has nothing to do with the
matter of setting before the public the
facts as to the state of the mind of the
militia. These exist and are seriously
affecting the morals of the army.
Not one but twenty regular army of
ticers have told the correspondent that
it will be an impossible job to weld into
an effective army troops whose heart
is not in their work. They do not want
to be professional soldiers because their
life work lies elsewhere in other fields.
If there was a chance of going into
Mexico and accomplishing what they
consider real patriotic service they
would accept all of the hardships of
training and cry for more. But they
don believe that the Government has
the slightest notion of intervention, and
in that opinion the whole border sup
ports them
At home their business is being neg.
lected and many of them, privates in
ranks, have large business interests or
their jobs are waiting for them, none
too securely in too many cases, or their
families are IN want, and in some regi-
ments 40 per cent, of the men are miser-
able because their wives and children
are wondering where food and rent
money is coming from.
And they look around them and see
every evidence that these camps are to
be permanent. Officers, both regulars
and National Guard, are building houses
and are sending for their families.
Uncle Sam is spending hundreds of
thousands of dollars putting up buildings
that would be an astounding extrava-
gance II the camps'are not to be main
tanned for long period.
Railroad spurs are being laid down in
long track stretches. Miles of piping
for water are being installed. Military
roads are in the making in a perfect
network at Brownsville, and out along
the Rio Grande Valley south of the St.
Louis, Brownsville and Mexico branch
running westward for seventy-eigh
miles from Harrington to San Fordyce,
and the same thing is true in the con-
centratlon districts of Laredo, Eagle
Pass, Maria, Del Rio, Columbus, Ell
Pasco, Douglas and Nogales, all suffici-
ent evidence of permanent occupation
of the retention of the militia here for
long period.
The more these preparations are OBJ
served by the militiamen the more their
intelligence suggests to them that they
are to be kept on the border for train
ing and for training solely, and their
discomfort fans into anger.
If any reader fancies that this writer
exaggerates the situation, or that he
has drawn incorrect differences from
his talks with officers and men, let him
persue this telegram, which, referring
only to one phase of the situation, was
sent to Gov. Whitman by Col Gordon
Johnston of the Twelfth New York In
tantry now IN camp at McAllen:
THE condition of affairs in the New
York division deserves most serious
consideration. There are many soldiers
here whose families are in the most des-
perate condition l have seen many
letters which disclose a most tragic
state of affairs.
Il am informed from reliable sources
that to discharge men with dependent
families would take about 40 per cent
of the command and leave the remain
der disconnected and with morale seri-
ously impaired, which would affect the
honor of the State as well as the Ma
ton. | believe the only fair solution to
be the drafting of young men to fill this
division of New York troops to war
strength and the gradual discharge of
men whose families depend on their
earnings as recruits become sufficiently
trained to replace them. By this meth
cd the New York division will continu-
ously MAINTAIN its field efficiency and at
the same time restore to dependent
families their sole means of support"
That if you please is the opinion of
one of the ablest officers of the United
States Army; there is no guesswork or
hearsay about it. Col Johnston refers
specifically to the bad morale produced
by dependent families.
He knows and every efficient officer
knows dots of them would willingly go
before a Congressional committee to
speak their minds if Congress can pro-
tect them from the petty methods en-
ployed by the Administration against
every officer that dares speak his mind
that another cause for poor morale or
lack Of spirit is the widespread belief
in these camps that the militia are be-
ing used to further Mr.. Wilson'S candi-
dacY for reelection: that they are be-
ing kept here as professional soldiers