Stone County enterprise. [volume] (Wiggins, Stone County, Mississippi) 1916-current, 1917-05-12

sion, but it forbade each to maintain
troops or ships of war" except with
the consent of the Federal Govern
ment.
Thus, the States surrendered into
the hands of the Federal Government
the function of their defense, and in
return the Federal Government guar
anteed to each State security from
invasion or insurrection.
To make good its guarantee Of
security, Congress, in 1892, enacted
that all able-bodied male citizens, be-
tween the ages Of 1S and As, should
constitute the military forces of the
nation, and it made each liable to
military service within the confines
of the United States. This still is
the law, as perusal of Section 81 OF
the Act of June 3rd, 1916, will show.
In order that universal liability to
service should be made effective Con-
gress, under the law of 1875, reenacted
in 1908, and widened in 1915 to in
c1ude the National Guard and its
reserve, gave to the President the
power to call for service the entire
male citizenry of military age and
fitness in the event of invasion or
insurrection This power the Presl-
dent may exercise without further act
OF Congress.
Defense a Federal Function
Thus, the Federal Government was
created for the military purpose CT
defending the States, its President
was made Commander-in-C OF the
army and navy, it's first president was
a military man, and it's citizens OF
proper age and fitness were bound
each to fight in the common defense
It will therefore be seen that at root
we are essentially a military nation,
in the democratic sense Of the phrase,
and that we are subject, today as
ever, to compulsory military service
within our own territory, upon call
of the Commander-in-Chief.
This is a, sufficient answer to those
who claim that, in our making the
necessary modern preparations for de-
fense, we are departing from nom
military traditions, to become a mill
taristic people.
While the Act of 1892 made every
man of military age and fitness liable
to Federal military service, 1t dele
gated to the several States the mill
tary organization of these men, and
it granted to the States the power
to make exemptions.
,ho in+o ~ Now York which 1C
In this respect substantially that OF
all the States, illustrates how badly
the States fulfilled the military duties
laid upon them by the Federal Govern
ment. In New York there was at first
an annual enrolment. In 1876 the
Legislature granted exemption from
military duty to everyone upon pay
ment of a fee of Is cents a year.
Enrollments were then made to oc-
cur biannually; next, to occur at every
fifth year, and, finally, enrollment3
were to be had only upon call of the
Governor No Governor, | believe,
ever has called an enrolment. Mean
while, the non-service tax was re-
duced to so cents, and shortly there
dIl6T IL was dbdIluOuCu. nus NASh
the Federal Militia, which had been
created for the National defense.
Protest Against Military Laxity.
During the disintegration OF the
Federal militia volunteer force
sprang up, as protest against the
military laxity of the authorities. This
force was accepted and subsidized by
the States, and became what is known
as the National Guard. Having no
standing under the Federal law the
guard was body wholly local In
character and was not recognized by
the Federal Government until early
in the present century.
The Constitution, while forbidding
the States to maintain troops or ships
of war (withOut the consent of Con-
gress) had bound the Federal Govern