Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1917-04-13
TEXAS RLQJlkt.U
To INCREASE BY
$500 GUARDSMEN
MILITIA OF THIS STATE MUST BIZ
AUGMENTED UNDER NEW BiLL
NOW BEFORE THE CONGRESS.
THIS, ADDED TO 22,OJ0 ENLISTER
MEN ALLOTTED TO STATE WOULD
BRING TEXAS Army TO 5000.

WASHINGTON, April lin order TO
meet provisions of the. army organization
act which is soon TO 90 before congress,
Texas will be required 10 enlarge liz ma
tional guard to 211 officers and 1920 en-
listed men, IN increase Of 1900 in the
force the state bad on the border under
the call Of last MAY. This. :sdded 10 the
o2,0O0 enlisted men allotted by popnll-
iicn under the proposal to supplement the
regular army and national guard by "a
force of half n million, Texas would be
called on 10 supply nearly twenty-five
thousand troops.
he total number required from other
Southwestern states j. AZ follows: Okla
hons national guard, 70 Officers, 2.i35
men; added force LOCO; total, l3.I35.
Arkansas national guard, 1l2 officers,
4 1000 men; added force, $500; total, u
500. Louisiana national guard, 81 Off
GERS, $500 men; added force, 5000; total,
1880. The states supply Officers for
the national guard, but Officers for the
additional force are supplied by the fed
eral government.
SOutfdff 10 stueIti Deiiti, the lIp~iutut
has no power to draft for the national
guard in bringing it 10 war strength, but
when once filled, which under existing law,
must be voluntary, he may draft The entire
force into the federal service, thus max
ing it available for service beyond the con-
fines of the country.
Members besieging the war department
for information respecting proposed vol
unteer organizations were told the only
route available was through the national
guard. That this character of service
does not appeal 10 the citizens now volm-
teering was made plain at the department,
because il rcquieroS an oath ohligating the
men to serve three years with the colors
and three additional years as national
guard reserves, whereas citizens are vol
nnteering for war purposes only
Unless the army bill is revised there
will be no place for volunteers. Mr.lboTs
or congress received 4 iar.e additional
number of messages against the draft plan
of the administration, and indor~ing the
voluntary system. The expressions from
Texas Indicate practically no sentiment
exists there for draft until the other
proves a failure.
President Wilson is holding conferences
with members of congress upon the army
legislation, letting it be known the admin
is committed to the policy Qua
lined in the bill now before the house
committee.
The members arc slow to agree 10 the
principle of consumption at the outset, bat
a majority will finally support it if the adj
ministration maintains it, present atti-
tude.
Otherwise, they say, congress might he
placed in the position of having voted a
declaration of war and then denied the
president the materials to support the de-
claration. A compromise was talked of
today in the shape Of amendment to rely
upon volunteers until, in the opinion Of
the president a draft becomes necessary.
Some of the mere enthusiastic ones in
Texas say that state would furnish 200.-
900 men.
Only three times nave free governments
resorted to the draft. The Southern con-
fedcracy adopted il carly in Inc war be-
tween the states and the federal govern
ment went to it about a year later. The
third instance is hat Of Great Britain in
the present war. enforcement of the draft
by the government during the civil war
ON riots in New York.