New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-01-03

sf.. goyorod the reorganization OF the
n,iii,is an a strictly Federal basis, that ~ 70
sav. To make Of the force national army "
recurring It's officers and men to assume a
new obligation exactly like that preSciiOeu
for officers and men of the regular army 80
that the force might be organized under tne
nrovision Of the Federal Constitution "hIcn
gives 10 Congress the power 70 raise anu
support armies, thus relieving II OF the nun
tations imposed by the Constitution on ene
use of the militia for national purposes, me
national defence act at that time was Delns
debated and an amendment prescribing Sucn
an oath and contract Of enlistment was PRIV
posed and adopted Under this amendment
the new force was designated the N1'Ioh"i
Guard Of the United States.
All legislation is said 20 be the result OF
compromise and TO constitute a composite OF
the views Of the leaders Of thought. There
was not at that time very much sentiment IN
support Of relieving the new national force
from the obligation Of service to the states
in the suppression of possible instruction,
although the National Guard for selfish rea-
sons would welcome such relief. There vas
however, practical unanimity that the ooli-
cation 10 serve the state should be side
issue. that is to say, a servient Obligation
and the legislation was framed accordingly.
The obligations Of the National Guards
man are the converse Of the obligations OF
the organized militia, as those obligations
we're formerly understood The primary
dominant obligation of the National Guards
man is to the Federal Government; his sec
ondary and servient Obligation 20 the state
Under the new national defence act there IS
one form Of enlistment throughout the Ma
tonal Guard Of the United States. There IS
but one form Of oath. There Is but one
standard of physical examination. There Is
but one system Of military jurisprudence.
There is but one method Of selecting officers.
There is but one method by which officers
may qualify for original commission and for
promotion in each grade. Surely, the ma
tional defence act, which is referred to as
the Hay bill, cannot be criticised for having
prescribed these radical changes. BY the
Hay act the laws Of forty-eight states on
the subject Of organization were rendered
null and void and were reDaced by the man
datory provisions of the Federal law.
The Federalist Plan
According to the views of the National
Guardsmen, who are called Federalistas, that
is to. say, those who believe in Federal domin-
ION and control of all classes Of troops con-
stitutng the national army (and am one Of
them, the weakness Of the present national
defence act, so far as the National Guard is
concerned, is the apparent inconsistency OF
one of its provisions, which includes the Ma
tional Guard Of the United States under the
definition Of militia" II was quite gener-
ally supposed by many of US when the amend
ment prescribing the regular army oath was
adopted that the National Guard of the
United States had been excluded from the
definition Of militia as set forth in the act,
and it was a surprise to learn last summer
that the new force had been included as part
Of the militia in the definition referred to.
This will explain the frame of mind OF
many officers who ask: "How can a national
force Of soldiers be an army organized under
the army provisions of the Constitution and
at the same time be a militia body" This is
separate and distinct criticism from that
based upon the so-called dual relation Of the
National Guard with the Federal Government
and the state. The remedy would seem to
be to amend the national defence act so as
to exclude the National Guard Of the United
States from the definition Of militia" given
in the act. This I found 20 be the view gen
orally among officers, both regular and Ma
tonal Guard, in our section Of the border.
So far as the so-caled dual relation Of the
Guardsmcn is concerned, there is of course
nothing inconsistent or contrary to military
principles in such relation. Every citizen,
for example, Of this state is not only a citi-
zen Of the State Of New York but he is a
citizen of the United States The dual rela-
ton has precedent in the German army sys-
tenn. where the Saxon soldiers. the Bavarian
regiments and the Prussian divisions arc all
part of the Imperial German Army. with OBJ
legations to the German states as well as to
the Imperial German Government.
A careful study and impartial analysis of
the military questions now before the public
will result, / think. in indicating a majority
belief in the necessity for some form OF man
datory military service, and that there is no