The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1917-03-28
NAVY IS ORDERED
To WAR STRENGTH;
CALL GUARDS OUT
PRESIDENT WILSON TAKES AC-
TON TO HAVE FIGHT FORCES
OF COUNTRY READY.
CONGRESS TO MEET APRIL 2
Special Session Will Deal With Re-
cent U-Boat Attacks Upon u. S.
Ships-Expected 10 Declare
State of War Exists.

Washington, D. c., March 26.-Presi-
dent Wilson has taken to place the
nation on a war footing. By execu-
tive order he directed that the navy
be recruited without delay to full au-
thorized war strength of $1,000 men.
Taken in connection with emergency
naval construction already ordered,
this means that the president has ex-
ercised the full limit of his legal pow
ers as commander in chief to prepare
the navy for war.
L T the army, the president directed
that two new military departments be
created in the Atlantic coast region.
The order means that the task of or
ganizing whatever army congress may
att horiZe will be devided among six
departmental commanders instead Of
four in the interests of speed and eff
Uency in mobilization.
The third step was to assume as a
national duty the task Of protecting
American industries from domestic
disorders in the event Of hostilities.
For this purpose eleven full infantry
regiments, two separate battalions and
one separate company of National
guards were called back into the fed
eral service TO act as national police
in important districts. Supplementing
these troops a regiment of Pennsylva-
MIA guads and two companies of Georg-
la infantry, en- route home from the
border were ordered retained in the
federal service
Call Guards for Police Duty.
The war department announced the
militia call in the following statement:
Many states have deemed it advis-
able to call out the National guard
for police purposes Of protection. AS
to the necessity for such steps arising
from misuses which are more than
local, it has been deemed advisable
by the president to call into federal
service for the above mentioned pur
pose the following organizations of the
National guard:
Massachusetts, Second and Ninth
regiments; Pennsylvania, First and
Third regiment; Maryland, Fourth
regiment; District of Columbia, First
separate battalion; Virginia, Second
regiment; Vermont, Company B, First
regiment; Connecticut, First regi-
ment; New York, Second and Seventy
first regiments; New Jersey, First and
Fifth regiments; Delaware, First bat
TALON, First regiment.
THE following organizations which
are now in the federal service will not
be mustered out: Thirteenth Pen
nsylvania, Companies A and B of the
First Georgia" The National guard
organization called to the colors will
be assigned the task of guarding NUM-
ton plants, bridges and railroad COM
munications, all strategic military
points and in general, all public prop
erty.
The presidents orders were made
known in terse official statements is
sued by both departments. No explain
alton accompanied them except the
statement that reorganization of the
military departments effective May /,
was designed to facilitate decentraliza-
tion of command.
Navy Needs 10000 Men.
The navy must enroll Immediately
approximately 10000 men to reach the
required strength. Secretary Daniels
supplemented it with personal tele-
grams to newspaper editors all over
the country urging them to aid the
department in every way in their pow
er to obtain the men.
Congress must determine the sys-
tenn under which an army is to be
raised. The presidents action pro-
vides more elastic machinery, found
necessary as a result of the recent
border mobilization, the enrolling and
training of a great army, whether
raised as volunteer, by CONSUMPTION
or through a UNIVERSAL service bill
The object of the creation of the
new departments of the northeast and
southeast was to distribute among
three central commanders the work of
mobilization in the states most thickly
populated and from which the great
est number of soldiers must come. The
present eastern department directed
the mobilization of approximately so
per cent of the 10000 puardsmen
sent to the border With 440, 900 men,
the maximum authorized strength of
the National guard, called out in ad-
dition to whatever volunteers might