The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-03-30
TO DEVELOP OUR MILITIA.

hat it may regain its ancient prestige
connected by the appellation ''Nationa
Guard Various states have already ad
dressed themselves to the problem, an
We shbmit below proposed bill which tn
Legislature of Florida would do we'll t
enact into law.
The principal purpose is, of course, t
Keep the enlistment up to require
strength; provision is made for draftin
when it falls below; apportionment is az
'ord1ng to population and those with de
0endents are, of course, exempt. The prc
posed bill, which combines the best feature
IF bills submitted to other state 1egis1a
lures, reads:
An Act to, promote the Efficiency
and Effectiveness of the National
Guard of the State of Florida, and
properly to provide for the defense of
the State.
Section l. Be it resolved by the
senate and house herewith assembled
that the National Guard of the State
OF Florida shall consist of such organi-
cations as may exist and such addi-
tlonal organizations as may hereafter
be formed by direction of the gov
ernor.
Section 2 Provided further that
upon the passage of this Act. when
ever an organization of the National
Guard of the State of Florida now
existing or directed to be formed bv
the governor, as provided for in sec
ton L, shall be below the minimum
strength prescribed by the Federal
law and regulations for all organiza-
tons OF that particular arm of the
service, and such deficiency of mini
mum strength shall continue for
period of more than thirty DAYS. that
the governor is hereby authorized
and empowered to draft by lot from
among the unerganized militia in the
county, city, or town in which such
organization is located or ordered
formed, sufficient number of able
BODIED male residents of said county.
city or town, to fill such deficiencies
provided that the men SO drafted shall
be between the ages of eighteen and
thlrty-flve and unmarried, and further
provided that no person be drafted
who IS the sole support of family
Section B. Provided further. that
the men drafted under the provisions
OF this Act, shall be held to serve one
enlistment period in the National
Guard of Florida, subject to all State
and Federal laws and regulations now
governing other members of the
National Guard of the State of Florida.
Section 4. Provided further, that
all organizations ordered formed I'M
der the provisions of this Act shall be
distributed throughout the State of
Florida according to the population
of the several counties, cities and
towns. -
Section 5. Provided further. that
nothing in this Act shall be construed
as changing any part of the law re-
lating to the National Guard of the
State of Florida, except in so far as
might be in conflict with the pro-
vision of the Act. And provided that
nothing in this Act shall be construed
as discharging from the National
Guard of the State of Florida any per-
son now member of any organization
therein, or that any person now en-
titled to enlistment in the National
Guard of Florida shall be debarred
from that privilege by any provision
of this Act
The National Council of Women en-
braces q organizations having an aggr
gate membership of approximately 1000
900 women