Weekly journal-miner., 1916-08-16
How the Wilson
 Administration Has
 PenaiiZed Patriotism

Of the United States from Mexico and the necessity for the proper protec- tion of that frontier" President VII son, 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 ately had to start a campaign of re- cruiting, to bring about the desired in- crease in their numbers.
 Patriotic young citizens. under the urge of the cry. Your country needs you," volunteered for service in grati- flying numbers. According to Senator Chamberlain, chairman of the Senate Committee on Military Affairs. the re- suit is that about 135,00O citizen sol diers have been mustered into the federal service and are now on the Mexican border or in camp in their home states. There may be more. but the administration refuses to make known the exact figures.
 Tie movement is costing the public t,saEgry many millions of dollars; it is costing the individual citizen SOL diers many mill!cns -aore. They went to the front believing the cry, Your country needs you" for war service. They sacrificed advancement in their ofufI p1nnnanfnrc har,n suffered, in thousands of instances, great pnancial loss. The less pa triotic, who did not believe the cry. or believing. declined to make sacrifices. fatten at home on these losses.
 The real purposes of the call arc slo' y 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 prevent them murdering Americans on American soil, the American gov. ernment undertakes the costly task of doing that work for them. The mur 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 festly too smar for 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 military training. Deceit was prac- ticed.
 Opposing in the open legislation for universal military service. the admin. istration by its acts has established what in Nsse@ce is a system of com p'-'SS~~ military service. It Is a sys- ten all the more vicious because it operates only against the patriotic, whereas legalized universal training system equalizes the burden of mili- tary service among all men and all classes of men
 When. in 1914. Europe plunged into the greatest war of all history. and conditions in Mexico grew intolerable intelligent 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 condi- ton 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 a while the administration changed It's mind and professed to believe in the necessity for prepared ness. First came an enactment to increase the regular army by 10000. But the body of the country. and even all parts of the Democratic admins tration. could not change front so quickly as the head. Recruiting for the regular 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 it's call for mo Utilization of the cittsen soldiery. It 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. shoes. socks. blankets. hats, wagons. trucks. horses, mules and other things essential to equip the men called; it had made no provision for transport ing the troops called to the points where they were required.
 Who suffered most by this amaz- ing lack of foresight this leaping be- fore looking?
 Only the 135.OOO patriots who be- lieved that their country needed them for national defense; only the men