Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1916-08-16
HOW THE WILSON
Administration HAS
PEHALIzED PATRIOTISM.

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
Iy 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
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.
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 its 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
| 11s sci, Of he =.
festly 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 fo1
universal military service, the admin
istratiOn by it's acts has established
what In essence is a system Of com
pulsory military service 1t is a sys
tenn all the more vicious because il
operates only against the patriotic
whereas a legalized universal training
system equalizes the burden Of mill
/ tary service among all men and al
classes of men.
When in 1914 Europe plunged int.
: the greatest war Of all history and con
ditiOns in Mexico grew intOlerable in
: telligent men realized the fact that i
was incumbent on this nation to built
up it's tiny regular army and put it!
l other military resources in condition
for use. National safety demanded
this And yet in December of tina
year, four months after the European
J. war began, President Wilson went be
fore congress and declared that al
agitation for military preparedness
} was hysterical; that we were ade
quately prepared.
+ After awhile the administrator
4 changed its mind and professed to be
lieve in the necessity for preparedness
First came an enactment to increas
the regular army by 10000. But tn
body Of the country, and even a
parts of the Democratic administra
= ton. could not change front so Quickl
as the head. Recruiting for the regU
! lar army Jagged. Not yet have tn
10000 been secured.
The need pressed. A new nations
defense act, providing for still nor
men in the regular army, was enacted
But still the men were not forthcon
ing.
Suddenly and without warning tt
IL administration issued it's call for ~
~ bilization of the citizen soldiers.
seemed still obsessed with the Brya
notion that an army could be create
by presidential ukase.
I. When the call went out the gover1
ment did not own enough uniform
d shoes, socks, blankets, hats, wagon
trucks, horses, mules and other thinG
~ occontinl to nn1lin the mon caIlnd