Norwich bulletin., 1917-02-01
Wood Hammers
 War Dep artnnent
AT cRoss-ExAMiNATioN sy SEN
 ATE sus-coMMiTTEE
WOULD REoRGANIzE IT
Declares His Criticism of National Guard Was of the System and Not of the Men-Asserts That Dual System is .nfotten.-

Washington, Jan 3L-Major Gen eral Leonard Wood. recalled today for cross-examination before the senate universal training sub- committee said army officers were not disposed to shirk responsibility for the war de- partment's shortcomings in it's direc- tion of the, national guard mobilization at the border, but reiterated that the and indefensible.' because of defects inherent in it's organization.
 Exclusive Federal Control.
 In response to questions by Senator Lee of Maryland, a defender of the guard system at whose instance the eral Wood admitted that the federal governments supply plans for the state troops collapsed ten days after they were called out. and that in cer- tain respects mobilization of the reg uiars, like the guard, failed to come up to expectations. He insisted, however, that a system without shadow of state interference, would have oper- ated to much better effect and that the only ultimate solution to the prob lem would be universal service under exclusive federal control
 Tomorrow the committee will cross- examine Major General Hugh L. Scott, the chief of staff, who in his testimony several weeks ago took a stand similar to that. of General Wood.
 Criticized System, Not Men.
 General Wood repeated today his assertion that the mobilization was a tragedy. but also declared he did not intend to criticize the officers and men of the guard, but only the vicious, indefensible system
 By supreme effort in six months time," he said, we got 15s,000 men to the border. The country could have been eaten up by an efficient enemy in that time,'
 Senotor T.a ,c;nta5 o,,+ +1,,t +. :. regular army had played it's part in the failures.
 Would Reors anize War Department.
 Yes" said General Wood. and I swould go aftert the war department with q sandha.azRn6L< il. .s'-sss Eovernn1sfit. General Wood said, was the supply system. Great Britain had faced the same thing, he added when the European war came and found it necessary to abandon her whole sys- tenn and create a department of munf- tions.
 'If the border trouble had gone to a real war" he said, i've would have had to do this: create a commission with some live. energetic business men upon it. We would have had to shake the cobwebs out of the supply depart nent and get some punch into it; con- vert it from wheelless vehicle into something that would run"
 Guardsmen Patriotic, But Not SoI-
 diers.
 The men and officers of the guard are high minded, patriotic individuals, General Wood said. ssbut not soldiers
 tIt would have been murder to have sent them against any fairly efficient foe,'' he added.
 Senator Lee led the discussion to the Swiss military system, which he declared had solved the problem of dual control of. the military forces by the state and federal governments.
 Dual Control is Rotten.
 Dual control is a rotten system in Switzerland. if it exists General Wood said. He was not to be shaken from his statement that efficient miif- tary measures could come only from absolute federal control, without a shadow of state interference.'' More over, he did not believe any alterna- tive from universal service offered it. self short of pay for soldiers at pro- hibitive rate.
 The rank and file of the national guard, General Wood said, were eager for enactment of universal service leg islation and many officers were resign = ing and men seeking to quite the ser vice because they believed it should be enacted as quickly as possible.