Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-04-30
Enrtttttg Ulrat

III Gil PROBABILITY the states per-
manent camp site at Mt. Gretna will
within the next few months be con-
Verted into an establishment little
dreamed of by the National Guards
men OF Pennsylvania when they mo-
piilzed amid its rocks and trees and
DUST last summer. The War Depart
ment has not outlined what it's plans
Tor the Improvement of the camp are
TO De but 1T is believed that it con-
templates a cantonment, in other
words a camp where the men will be
housed in wooden buildings insteaF,
or tents. This is significant, IL it is
true, because 1t will mean that the
camp Will be used for training of
men and that 1t will be utilized eight
or nine months of the year. The
work now under way under direction
OF Colonel l.. V. Rousch, the active
spirit in the Guards quartermaster's
department, is being done by the
state and consists of clearing open
spaces for concentration of far more
| troops than the Pennsylvania divi-
sion comprises; extension of the wa.
ter supplies and improvement of the
ACoNS' LII a. SHOTI llIn0 Ino State
highway Department will begin the
construction of several State high
ways entering into the camp area
and providing better means of reach
ing the sidtngS and the main rail-
| road line. The Commonwealth
| plans to spend something like $780,
OOO on Improvement of the grounds,
OF which 1t owns outright about 1000
acres. The national government will
that sum If the cantonment PROPOSE
ton goes through. In any event, Mt.
Gretna will be a great military train
ing camp this year, and probably
next, and the mobilization of the Ma
tlonal Guard for war service, which
is expected next month by people at
Washington, will be followed by the
occupation of the camp by regiments
IN the making such as were at Camp
Meade in the summer after the great
camp of the Second Army Corps in
the closing weeks of the Spanish
American war. The State is going
ahead with its preparations and by
and by the War Department will get
its plans working,
Harrisburg people will be interest
ed to know that the officer who is to
command the army reserve training
|
many Pennsylvanians will be trained
to be officers, will be Colonel Samuel
w. Miller, commander of the Twen-
tieth United States Infantry, who was
formerly in command of the re-
cruiting station here. Colonel Miller
is native of Huntingdon county and
has been in command of United
States soldiers in the Philippines.
| Hawaii and at Panama. He has
also had charge of troops in Cuba
and Porto Rico and has been in most
of the arm posts. While in this
country on leave last summer, Colo
mel Miller, because of his familiarity
with militia matters, was detailed as
inspector of the mobilization of the
| National Guard at Mt. Gretna, where
he spent two weeks and made OBJ
servations regarding the camp site
which will probably be put into eff
feet some day.
The way in which residents of this
city and vicinity have taken an in
terest in recruiting as we'll as stimu-
lating the movement to get youths to
help in gardening is upholding the
traditions of the State Capital in a
splendid manner. AS has been shown
in the HARRISBURG TELE-
GRAPH from day to day this city
has been keeping away up in the
number of recruits furnished to the
three services and in enrolment for
the reserves. Furthermore, 1t has
been taking an active part toward
getting the youths lined up to help
in raising of food. Harrisburg's steel
workers, railroadmen and others in
the industries We're listed long ago
by the National Council of Defense,
which knows what Harrisburg can
do and what men it has available.
There are undoubtedly many in this
community who VIII be called upon
to enter the service If they do not
volunteer or go into the reserve, but
under the listing work already done
here the men will be chosen so as not
to disturb industry or business.
According to reports which have
| been going the rounds the National
Guard organizations employed in the
unexciting but highly important
work of guarding bridges and other
means of communication which are
so vital to national life and defense,
protecting water works and indus
trial establishments upon which so
much depends, will be relieved soon
latter the Guard is modified so that
they can get the advantage of SER
vice with their brigades and their
work may be turned over to new or
ganizations as part of training. In
some parts of the country corpora
tions, municipalities and local COM
mittees have been forming. home
guards to take over police and pro-
tective work eventually, so that the
soldiers will be relieved for defense.
| In Pennsylvania State policemen
have been helping to organize guards
for various town properties, works
and other enterprises and have been
rendering a service that is little
known but which is highly creditable
to the force to when Major Groome
has given the best years of his life.
The manner in which the Harris
burg Red Cross organization has
gone about the task of enrolling
members and getting work done has
attracted attention in nearby towns
and there are very favorable COM
ments heard about the patriotic
energy of the Capital City folks.
Pennsylvania is developing a sur
prising number of Red Cross organi-
cations and they are doing work
which will be felt when the real
stress of war comes along.