Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-07-03
This Is a Test Of Loyalty

Decision BY tho war department not to mobilize
the National Guard Of Hawaii now is the decision
Of Uncle Sans military heads looking at the cues
ton from O national, not territorial standpoint
Correspondence made public yesterday BY Brig
Gen. johnson, Acknowledgment Of the Hawaiian
guard, seems to show that the war department hal
never at any time decided to mobilize the territorial
militia. That being the case, talk that the fooo
commission, the sugar interests or Delegate kuhle
blocked mobilization is foolish. Talk that the fooC
commission or the sugar interests have finished the
guard" is ridiculous.
As far back as May % General johnson received
from the militia bureau at Washington radlogran
which said:
aNJo present intention to mobilize call draft the
National Guard in Hawaii They will be held in re-
serve"
s The territorial food commission favored the con
solidation of the guard into two regiments, 1t Ii
true but it is also true that the commission did moi
cable it's attitude to Delegate Kuhio until Genera
Strong and the governor had agreed upon their rec
concentrations to the same scheme of consolidation
and General Strong had prepared cablegram to
this effect The food commission then cabled thu
delegate communicating General Strong's cable
gram and adding simply that such was its own at
ttude and asking Kuhio to assist as he might in hi
official capacity.
The gist of what has been done in the past few
weeks g that the commission acted only after con
sultation with the Hawaiian Department and the
eubernatoriaI Office. The sugar planters associa
tion has already denied the very vague rumor that
ssthe planters blocked mobilization of the guard,
It Is plain that the reason why the national guard
q not 70 be modified lisa decision in Washington
not a sub rosa act or attitude in Hawaii. The wal
department Is preparing for tremendous activity
the handling of Uncle Sans part in the greatest
war 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
national standpoint, and, viewing Hawaii thus, il
did not seem wise to mobilize the guard just now
Several reasons Of policy undoubtedly enter into
this. Thedemand on time, energy, trained men and
funds for such mobilization would be such that thu
department desires to use such time energy, trained
men and funds elsewhere.
The war department has great problems on It'd
hands 1t looks at Hawaii with this question
sWhat immediate aid toward onr winning the wal
u possible BY mobilization of the Hawaiian guard
now?1 And If there is not an absolutely definite
element Of war.winning value apparent, mobiliza
tion does not seem justied There are other thing
the department needs to attend to first
OF course, failure to mobilize is disappo
q keen disappointment. Governor Pinkham, terrific
rial and municipal ofacals, public and private or
CARNATIONS the press and almost every other agency
IN Hawaii has stood by the guard and ceaselessl,
worked to help build il up. Mistakes in the expan
sion of the guard, were no mistakes in caliber o
support by the public.
The men Of the guard also feel the disappoint
ment But like good soldiers their best service 10 t
astand by. and carry out the policy that works to
ward national and not merely local success Stand
by as Loyalty as Gen. Pershing stood by his difficult
and thoroughly unwelcome task in Mexico. Stand
by like soldiers in the trenches-not because th.
lob is to their liking but because it is part of tn,
bigger strategy Of their commanders
In short, this is test Of loyalty for the nationa
guard 1t is test OF the guards ability to swallow
disappointments, to show its mettle