Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-07-23
WHY GUARD WILL
TRAIN IN SOUTH
Sec. Baker Explains Double
Expense Avoided by
This Plan

to Senator Weeks, of Massachusetts,,
Secretary Baker gave the War De-
partment's reasons for choosing the
South as the training ground for the
National Guard. The letter was in
response to an inquiry from sena-
tor Weeks.
Mr.. Baker pointed out that the
INABILITY to. get sufficient tonnage
ior the transport of troops abroad
before winter sets in made it neces-
sary to send the National Guard to
a climate where the men might have
out-of-door training in the early
winter months. Before the winter
ends. he said, he expected that all
the National Guard will be on the
way to France. The letter follows
1t is intended to send the Ma
tional Guard, or such units thereof
as are property equipped and train
ed, to join the American expedition
ary force in France before the ad-
ditional forces authorized by the Sc
lective draft act, now called the ma
tional army, can be sent. When the
plans for mobilizing those two forces
were drawn, it was not known how
| soon the national army could be as
sembled under the draft. The Ma
tional Guard having already in its
possession some equipment, and
having, after several months serv-
ice on the border, received a certain
measure of training, it was believed
that the force could be more
promptly dispatched to France than
| the national army, which, at the
time the plans were approved, had
not been authorized by Congress
Plans Dependent on Transportation
Plans for the dispatch of our
forces to France depend not only
upon their training and equipment,
but also upon the availability of suf-
| hclent tonnage for transportation.
| Had it been possible to procure, be-
| fore winter, transportation to
France for the National Guard of all
States in the North, it is quite pos
| sible that my advisers would have
recommended that the National
Guard be placed in cantonments in
the North. Had such a plan been
proposed and given effect and ton
mage been sufficient, the approach of
winter would have found the Ma
tional Guard in the climate where
out-of-door training would have
been impracticable. 1t wonld then
have been necessary, after consid-
cradle expenditure for the construc-
ton of environments, to transport
them to the South, build new can
tonments and possibly return them
to a northern harbor for embarka-
ton; hence it was decided to con-
struct cantonment shelter for the
National Guard in the South.
After sites had been selected for
many of the divisions of the Ma
tional Guard and the national army,
! it was reported by the officer in
charge of cantonment construction
that due to the price of material
the sum of money appropriated for
cantonment construction would be
sufficient for only about half the
number (thirty- two) cantonments
planned. 1t was also reported that
the construction of half the number
of cantonments could be completed
by September l, 1917, but not by
July, the month in which it had
been planned to call the National
Guard into military service. This
month was selected because, due to
| the lack of clothing and other equip
ment, it was believed impracticable
to complete the equipment of the
regular army with all it's increment
before July, and it was not desirable
to call the National Guard before it
was possible to supply the necessary
equipment.
Guard to Go Under Canvas
Because of the impracticability
of constructing thirty-two canton
ments with the funds appropriated
it was decided as the National Guard
had then in its possession a certain
amount of tentage, and the War De-
partment could reasonably hope to
supply the necessary complement by
the end of July, to place the Ma
tional Guard under canvas, in order
that their training might not be
longer delayed and to confine the
cantonment construction to the
sites selected in various divisional
areas for the national army.
You correctly assume that it had
been hoped to send the National
Guard to France within a reasonable
time, but it is manifestly imprac-
ticable, with the limited tonnage
available, to transport all the Ma
tional Guard of the Northern States
to France before cold weather even
if the dispatch of a division of the
regular army be postponed for that
purpose. If the National Guard of
the New England division should be
camped in New England consider
able expenditure would be neces-
sary at the site selected. On the
approach of cold weather it would
be necessary to transport them to
the South and to Spend an equal
amount on the construction of a
camp there. In the sites which have
been selected, training of the Ma
tional Guard may be continued
throughout the winter. During the
winter, if not before, 1t is hoped that
enough tonnage will be available for
the dispatch of most of the National
Guard to France; namely, those di-
visions properly equipped and train
ed for service in war.
IT can assure you that every step
taken by the War Department for
the organization and training of all
our military forces has been
prompted solely by the desire to fur
ther the prosecution of the war in
such a manner as to effect the best
results. 1t is impossible to foresee
what difficulties may arise in the fu-
ture, but the present plans of the
War Department are so framed as
to provide for the training of each
portion of the army, as soon as the
equipment can be furnished and to
6;ev,otcI, aacb norton of the army to