Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1917-10-31
BY EDWARD 8. CLARK.

his department are DESTROYS that mem
bers of National Guard organizations
should understand that 1t is nothing
but the necessities of a military case
which have compelled the authorities
TO ortier consolidation of some of the
state regiments which thereby neces-
sarly largely must lose their identity.
kilograms and letters of protest
against the consolidation of different
state regiments into one still are pour
ing into the department, and the civil
ial officials and the army officers I'M
questionably are perturbed because Of
the attitude of officers and men of
some of the Guard organizations to-
ward consolidation.
1t appears that rather than to lose
its identity as the Fighting Fift.eth. or
the KeOkuk Blues. or the Kalamazoo
Cracks, some of the Guard regiments
would prefer that military wisdom he
foregone and that they be allowed TO
go into the fight against the Germans
in their old formations. which would
mean to enter the battle in a manner
not approved by students of modern
warfare.
l have been asked personally by one
of the highest military officials in the
United Stares to write an explanation
of why those consultations of regi-
ments are necessary, and why it Is
that some officers. temporarily at least,
must lose their positions of first COM
mand.
Pershinu Urged the Change.
II was General Pershing who urged
on the American military authorities
the necessity of having the regimental
formations correspond to those of the
French and British now actually on the
fighting line Three years of trench
work and such open field work as there
has been have proved that complete
change In the regimental formations
mast be made. The war department,
wishing to do what it can TO insure so
far as is possible quick victory, has no
alternative but to change the old or
ganzarion plan.
Under the new rule a regiment must
contain about 5000 men. This makes
II absolutely necessary that some
Guard regiments shall be combined to
make u new regiment The whole sys-
ten Of organization has undergone
change. The necessity of machine gun
troops has made II imperative that
some regiments shall be split into
smaller units for rattle fire" gun for
nations. The war department realizes
that ia . measure this splitting Of regi-
ments Is TO the men like the breaking
up OF home ties. but war is on and the
war must he fought along modern lines
and therefore the changes absolutely
are necessary
Til, -e is one colonel to a regiment.
When two existing regiments are com
bined into one il means that the junior
colonel must he displaced from com
mand, or Il it shall he deemed wise
from the military sense TO put the jun
Tor In chief command the senior feels
that he had been sighted.
No Officer to Lose His Rank.
Il can be said, however that no col
oneI, unless found unfit. will lose his
rank He will be attached to a regi-
ment ready to take command In case
the actual commandcr Is incapacitated
or transferred. In other words, the All
dtioual colonel will in a sense be a
lieutenant colonel, although keeping
the colonets rank. Tie y, snaur col
enel of an outfit always 49, ps au sort
OF a superuGmerary.
Other officers than the colonies viii
be affected but every man who is III
for the service will stay In it ut the
rank which he holds. It will be no
hevs probably to most of the officers
of the army. regulars or National
Guardsmen. that If they prove their
unfitness to command men in the pres
ent criSiS--out they win 90.
New Anesthetic Being Tested.
Washington officials. particularly
those OF the medical department
and presumably all persons who
have heard or read anything on
the subject, are interested in an artl-
Gle written by Edgar Ansel Mowrer
which appears In Golfers Weekly Of
September -. II gives in detail as
founding accounts OF the pain-relieviug
work which It is claimed an anesthetic
called nikalgln. the discovery of a lay
man. Gordon Edwards. has accom-
plished In the war hospitals Of Eng
land and France
II this discovery will do what II is
claimed it viii do there is reason
enough for the interest In II which has
been aroused. II has been my attempt
to find out something about nikalgn
and its possible or probable use as a
local anesthetic by the medical depart
ment of the United States government,
Medical Science Is Alert
There are In the United States medl-
cal service several Of the foremost ply
sicjans of the world 1t is neither
in accordance with the ethics OF the
profession nor with the ethics of cen
sorship. II one may so speak for the
doctors to discuss prior To thorough
investigation the merits of a new ma
teriaI which II claiming recognition. II
Uses of the Howitzer.
HoyVitgpr is the name griN-aD tn n DDP.