The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-03-27

The CIVILIAN committee OIL IL " dAo
enlistment in the Connecticut coast
Artillery Corps, N. G., and the Nation-
al Naval Volunteers met in the pro-
bate court room, city hall, last night
and decided upon a mammoth patriot
ic mass meeting to be held soon In the
State armory, Main street
Judge Alfred B. Beers, former COM
mander-in- chief of the Grand Army
Of the Republic, was elected chairman
with Capt Edward Mora, secretary
and treasurer.
1t is likely that in anticipation OF
the rally towards the flag, both the
artillery and naval companies will be
on parade and that recruiting sta
lions for the National Guard Will be
placed in conspicuous places In the
city with enrolment and medical Of
ficers in attendance to explain the re-
Quirements Of each branch Of the SER
vice
Last night much was said about the
patriotism displayed by the masses
during the Revolution and the civil
War, and considerable about the fee!-
ing for and again enlistment in the
present, generation.
Among the salient features of pres
ent day conditions brought fordibly
before the meeting were these facts:
the rank and file Of citizens do not
believe that actual emergency exists;
many persons wish to know how their
families are to be cared for while
they are absent and whether or not
the foreigner will replace him in the
factories and the work he quits to be
a patriot; there is not enough 1nfor-
nation being disseminated about the
respective branches Of the national
guard service; labor will rise to man
to defend the country but will not stir
until a crisis is reached; that the gov
eminent will not send a volunteer
regiment to the front until 100000
national guardsmen have been re-
cruited, trained and In the field; and
that the Coast Artillery companies
and the National Naval Volunteers In
this city need many more recruits and
the recruits are not forthcoming.
Officers Of the various companies
were first called upon to express their
views.
Capt. Arthur c. Bennett of the
Fourth Company, Conn. G. A., N. G.,
said he had been ordered to recruit
full strength in his mortar company,
$50 men. He has but IA. In his ef-
forts to procure enlistments he is told
by the average young man: when
they want me I will be there
Capt. Louis J. Brague, of the 14th
Company. C. A. c., with necessity for
100 men, has but 75 men.
Lieut. Albert J. Merritt speaking
for the Third Division, National Ma
val Volunteers, said that while the
oJ~
branch Of the service the apathy at
this time is astounding. He has but
81 enlisted men and needs a full COM
plement of 81 with two additional
officers. In the aeronautic unit of
the naval branch 10 more men are
needed for the first company. The re-
quirements are technical and though
nearly every jitney man in the city
has shown his patriotism in this re-
spect they cannot be accepted because
Of the rigid physical and scientific re-
NQuirements.
William p. Kirk, voicing the senti-
ment of the average workingman at
this time, after asking what pay the
enlisted man would receive stated
that the burden upon the married
man who had a family was too great
under the present rate of compensa-
ton and asked that a resolution be
sent to the Connecticut legislature to
increase by state aid the compensa-
ton to patriotic married volunteers.
later asking the factory owners to
carry this burden and volunteered
to pay full salaries to any of his en-
ployes who enlisted as long as they
remained away from their families
at the front
Judge Beers, Frank Miller and
General Henry A. Bishop made stir
ring speeches glowing with patriot
ism.
Lieut.. Louis J. O'Neil, Of the 18th
Company c. A. c., said: '"The Gov
eminent has spent over 100000 in
equipping the Bridgeport armory into
one Of the finest of artillery training
stations. There are but three com
panies OF Coast Artillery here when
six are really needed in the city. It re-
qulres two years to train men in this
branch Of the service which is most
exacting and necessary for the de-
Tense of the state His company NOW
has 81 men and 80 more are required
even for peace complement.
Alderman Vincent S. Whitney sug-
gested a grand rally to which both
men and mothers might attend The
! suggestion was later put I'M the form
Of a motion by Frank D. Bell and
carried
Frank Miller was surprised that
the young men Of Bridgeport did not
respond to the call but believed that
America is the greatest country in
the world and that all OF Europe
| could not click it."
Gen. Henry A. Bishop said: eff
this country is good enough to live
in it is good enough to protect, a
duty every citizen inherits from the
time he is born
Major Frederic J. Adams, chief sur
geon of the Connecticut National
Guard, said that the sanitary corps of
which he had previously been head in
Bridgeport, was complete with the ex-
ception of one physician. That the
ambulance company which Hartford
| had not been able to enroll was pro-
crossing, but that physicians of
Bridgeport showed so little patriotism
| they openly admitted they were MAX
| ing 1000 a month and the call to
| colors would find them On the money
! side rather than the fighting side. He
| needs more physicians and sur
| geons.
! Anthony 8 Ambrose, president of
| the National Slavonic society, declar-
| ed he was surprised that SO little pa
| triotism was being shown by the
| American born citizen