The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1917-04-13

Great God. our King.
With an initial membership o
sixty, the proposed voluntary drill
organization took shape at {
mass meeting at the armory
last evening. The next meeting
will be Saturday evening. The pur-
pose is to drill unframed men in
military movements, thus fitting
them the better for service in the
army, whenever they may be called
by the government
The high school cadets advertised
the meeting early in the evening. IN
der the command of Major Charles r
Richardson, instructor at the high
school, the two companies paraded
the streets with two large flags
loaned for the occasion by the Ma
tional Citizens bank. Company A was
under the command of Captain Glenn
Paulson and Company B was under
the command of Captain Paul Walk
er. A large sign with the call, Enroll
at the armory," was borne along the
line of march
The cadets later marched into the
armory followed by a crowd of citi-
zens. Here the cadets drilled for some
time, doing great credit not only to
themselves, but to their instructors
and officers.
Later in the evening, the gather
ing, then numbering about 200, in ad :
dition to the cadets, took seats, and
was called to order by Attorney Ivan
Bowen. Mr.. Bowen explained the
object of the meeting, which was to
form an organization for voluntary
military training. The United States
was on the eve of a declaration OF
war. The strength of every democracy
lay in the people themselves. He I'M
derstood that the United States pos
sessed an army of only $4,000 men
That amounted to practically nothing
when taken into comparison with the
armies of other great nations.
Mr.. Bowen went On to say that
under state and federal laws, all the
able bodied men between eighteen
and forty-five could be drafted into
the military service. Most of the
men were not even acquainted with
the rudiments of military training.
Raising of An Army,
The chairman also spoke of the
bills that had been introduced for
the raising of an army. He spoke par
ticularly of the one for the raising OF
an army of 100000 men, taking first
those of the age of twenty, and later
up to twenty-five years, as the presf-
dent might see fit. Later the age
limit would be raised. Married as well
as unmarried men would be called
The men should not sit down and
wait for call, but should be giving
4 portion of. their time to military
training so as to be ready. when the
call might come.
Mr.. Bowen spoke of the fact that
there were men there that evening
who took part in forming a volun-
tary military organization to serve in
the Spanish American war. He spoke
particularly OF Judge w. L. Com
stock, who was present at the meet
ing, and called on him to speak
Judge Comstock passed on to Col
onel George W. Mead the honor oil
taking the lead in such doings in
Mankato, and told of the colonel or
ganizing old Company of this city
The judge said those who were
forming the new organization now fol
the purpose CT military training would
be met with the proposition that il
was too soon and that there was nc
occasion for forming such an organi-
cation now. People who talked so eth
er did not know any better or haG
motives of their own.
Could DISAGREE No lonuer:
Americans, he said, may have dis
agreed as to their national policy in
this crisis, but they could disagree
no longer. The fact was staring then
in the face that very night that they
were at. war, and that they had ma
tional enemy. where short time age
they had friend. He told his hear.
ers that if there were any about then
who did not feel loyal to this country
in the present crisis, their place was
across the sea. A general burst OF
applause followed this declaration.
The Judge expressed his belief thai
this was a great emergency. He be-
lieved it was the greatest emergency
that had ever confronted this coun-
try. He did not believe that it would
pass within few months. That haC
always been the idea at the begin
ming of other wars. If after five
years America should assume the
status of peace, she will have done
well. In the mean time he believed
it would be necessary to call millions
to the. colors. At times the country
would be short of food and at times
it would be short of men. At times il
would be short of munitions. The re-
sources of the country would be
greatly taxed. Times of great stress
and great trial were upon the coun-
try.
Americans had rested long years in
the fancied security of their dignity
and their aloftness from the other ma
lions of the earth. But America had