Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-07-03
THIS Is q Test oil. Loyalty

pecisiea by the war department not to mobilize
the National Guard Of Hawaii now is the decision
Of uncie sans military heads looking at the cues
tion from national, not territorial standpoint.
Correspondence made public yesterday by Brig:
Gen. johnson, adtutant general Of the Hawaiian
guard, seems to show that the war department has
never az any time decided to mobilize the territorial
militia. Tint being the case, talk that the food
commission, the sugar interests or Delegate Kuhio
blocked mobilization is foolish. Talk that the food
continuation or the sugar interests have finished the
guard" IL ridiculous
As far back as May % General johnson received
from the militia bureau at Washington a radiogram
which said:
md present intention to mobilize call draft the
National Guard in Hawaii They will be held in re-
serve"
The territorial food commission favored the con.
solicitation of the guard into two regiments, it is
rue but it is also true that the commission did not
cable ifs attitude to Delegate Kuhio until General
Strong and the governor had agreed upon their rec
demonstrations to the same scheme of consolidation,
and General strong had prepared cablegram to
this effect The food commission then cabled the
delegate, communicating General Strong's cable
cram and adding simply that such was its own at
tudeand asking Kuhio to assist as he might in his
Official capacity. 49,. ...m...asz
The gist of what has been done IN the past few
weeks Is that the commission acted only after con-
sultafion with the Hawaiian Department and the
cubernatorial once The sugar planters associa.
ton has already denied the very vague runor that
.fhe planters blocked mobilization Of the guard e
It Is plain that the reason why the national guard
i not to Be modified IL decision In Washington,
not q sub rosa act or attitude in Hawaii. The war
department IL preparing for tremendous activity
the handling of Uncle Sans part in the greatest
var in history Like battleship going into action,
Il is stripping to the essentials Of fighting efficiency
II Is taking from Hawaii every surplus regular
army officer Looking at the situation from the
|nationaI standpoint, and, viewing Hawaii thus, it
did not seem wise to mobilize the guard Just now.
Several reasons Of policy undoubtedly enter into
MIS- The demand on time energy trained men and
funds for such mobilization would be such that the
department desires to use such time energy, trained
men and funds elsewhere.
The war department has great problems on It's
hands, It looks at Hawaii with this question,
e{fhaf Immediate aid toward our winning the war
Il possible b. mobilization Of the Hawaiian guard
nowg And II there il not an absolutely definite
element Of warswinning value apparent, mobiliza-
don does NOT seem justAed There are other things
lie department needs to attend to first.
OF course, failure to mobilize is disappointment
q keen disappointment Governor Pinkham, terrific
rial and municipal ofHcials public and private or
ranizatons the press and almost every other agency
ii Hawaii has stood BY the guard and ceaselessly
worked to help build it up. Mistakes in the expan-
sion of the guard were no mistakes in caliber of
support by the public
TIA y,,o NJ tho or,6rd a1ex fani fhn