The Monticellonian., 1917-06-07
ONE. ARMY PROBLEM
HOW THE NATIONAL GUARD is
TO BE MADE PART OF THE
NATIONAL ARMY.
1T MUST MEET REQUIREMENTS
No Political, Religious or Racial
Ciiques Wanted-Many of the Cav
airy Regiments May Be Converted
Into Field Artillery.
BY EDWARD 8. CLARK.

Nashington.-Ever in Wash
ington knows that the National Guard
problem has been veXing one for
the war department to solve. Some of
the regiments in few Of the states
never have been efficient and probably
never could be made efficient under
state control so long as indifference to
the service continued in some places
to prevail. The government is going
to take over at first only such of those
National Guard regiments, not already
federalized, as have met with all the
requirements of the law in equipment,
numbers and efficiency
The National Guard regiments un-
der the present plan-under the law,
in fact-will continue to wear the
badge of state service when they be
come part of Uncle Sans troops,
but otherwise to all effects, purposes
and appearances they will be part
of the regular army.
Unless the Guard by volunteer en-
hstments is recruited to It's full
strength prior to the time that the
federal government takes over such
state organizations as are not enrolled
in its service, the provisions of the
Hay bill for recruiting the Guard or
CARNATIONS will be foregone, and the
men needed to complete the quotas
will be chosen under the selective con-
scrfptfon rule. This means that when
no VTt,tf @.1- 81 Of
task of filing the regiments no man
over thirty-one years of age will be
added to the forces.
The regular army authorities have
been disturbed by reports from here,
there and elsewhere that ambitious pe-
liticians and others were raising COM
panies. regiments and even brigades
with the idea of offering their services
en- masse 1t was the intention of
some of these organizations, if means
could be found to do it. TO enter the
National Guard The desire of Wash
ington has been that the National
Guard should be recruited in way to
prevent the entering into it of cliques
or sets of men whose binding tie was
political, racial, (0ther than American)
or even religious.
Cavalry to Become Artillery.
Ii has been said that some of the
National Guard cavalry regiments, per
haps all of them. may be turned into
field artillery regiments. There is not
much use for cavalry on the west
front in the present war, although of
course there must be some cavalry for
emergencies. Mounted troops when
they are needed will be needed badly.
Artillery, however, is Il prime neces-
sity, and as the troopers of the Ma
tional Guard know horses and know
how to ride them, they will be espe-
cially useful in artillery outfits which
use horse power for changes of base
and coming into battery"
The officers of the army watched
the various National Guard regiments
on the border closely. One Pennsyl-
vania infantry regiment, the Second
was by the direction of the federal
authorities turned into field artillery
outfit overnight. 1t is far advanced
now in its drill and it probably will
go to France with one of the early ex-
petitions which the government sends
to the fighting line.
If such cavalry regiments of the
Guard are given a change of service
and of weapons they need not worry
much about delay in sending them to
the scene of action. All they will have
to do is to learn their new duties
quickly and then they can rest as
sured that with their field guns they
will be put on ships and sent over.
seas.
Sure of Early Participation.
Within tho naxt faw weeks the