Evening journal., 1917-06-16
Want STATE TO HAVE'
COMPLETE REGIMENT.


tant General !. Pcsey Wickersham,
Colonel H. G. cavanaugh, u. S. A.
on active duty in Delaware; Colonel
w. z. Slower Captain X. X. V. Casey
formerly with the Delaware Militia
and a major in the Second Pennsyl-
rania Regiment on the border last
summer; Major J. Warner Reed,
ranking officer Of the Delaware Bat
l.alion now in the United States ser
vice and practically all the commits
stoned officers Of thr two battaiions
Under the recent call of the War
. Department. the Delaware unit Of the
National Guard. TO be modified July
25. will be Included IN the Eighth
Division, comprising troops from
Delaware. Maryland. New Jersey and
District Of Columbia. Under this call
Delaware is to supply the following
units:
For Coast Defense purposes, one
battalion Of Infantry and four com
panles Of Coast Artillery and in addi-
ton the following One ambulance
company, one ammunition train, one
supply train, one battalion Of engi-
neers, one engineers train.
In this allotment no full regimen
tai unit is allotted TO Delaware. This
means that unless the third battalion
is raised there will not be unit
known as the Delaware Regiment.
The separate units, IL is understood,
would either be put in a reg ment
with a unit from some other state or
used on small outpost duty.
In this call for the National Guard
Il is pointed out by officers OF the
guard, under the present conditions
Delaware is given the trimmings to
MI up the various units of the diyi-
sion, and although the State would
be proud to supply the engineers bat
TALON, ambulance company and other
units, the officers who met the Gov
ernor feel that at least Delaware
should have a full regiment Of in
iantry to represent the State.
II was brought out at the conference
last night that Section GO OF the ma
tionai defense act OF June 3, 1916,
provides that nothing in the law shall
prevent any State with but one repre-
sentative in Congress from organizing
one or more regiments of troops with
such other auxiliary troops as the
President may prescribe
burning tine conference the question
came up as to whether Governor Town
send would have the right TO raise this
~
that under the cot passed by the Legs
lature last winter and approved ny inc
Governor. the Governor Is given the
power TO raise and equip additional
troops for service at home or abroad
IL is claimed that the Governor coult
take advantage of this provision an'
form a skeleton organization Tor th'
third battalion, and with the incentive
Of having full regiment the varlou
companies could be recruited TO mini
mum strength by the time the guard
70 he mustered in. July %.
II was also pointed out at the confer
ence that at the outbreak Of the Span
. sh-Amorican war, in 1898 two battal
ions were recruited into three battal
E ion regiment from much smaller mum
her of men and officers than compost
the two battalions today. The officers
and men claim they want the same OPP
portunity given to them as was given
to the Delaware troops in 1893, when a
full Delaware regiment was put in the
field.
Major Reed. speaking for the Off
GERS, brought out some interesting de-
tails relative 10 the status two bat
talions OF Delaware troops while on
TIE border at Deming. Ho stated
that next 10 the Delaware troops was
the First Arkansas Regiment This
regiment had less men in Il than the
two Delaware battalions, but as It
was a regimental formation the Ar
Kansas contingent had machine gun
company, a headquarters company. a
supply company. a band, its colors
and a colonel and lieutenant colonel.
All OF this was denied the Delaware
boys. although they had more men
\ but they were only a two-battalion OF
ganization and not a three battalion
regiment
II was also brought out that while
az Deming the Delaware contingent
by requisition secured necessary army
wagons. but when the reQuisition FOL
mules TO haul these wagons was pu
in Il went 20 another department o
the quartermaster's Office, the regula
tons were construed differently ant
consequently no mules were suppie
10 haul the wagons. IL Il had bee
a full regiment. II was stated. .nstea
Of separate hattalions the neccssar
equipment OF that kind would hav
been forthcoming without any delay.
Il IS understood that the War Do
partment for six years has eXerted q
forts TO prevail on the State author
ties to comply with the federal la'
by adding an additional battalion {
the two existing battalions whic
could have been done under a stat
act passed March 8. 1907
On January 8. 1910. General Wicl
ersham issued an order that TO col
form to the act Of Congress of 19O
the regiment Of infantry organize
under the act Of March 8. 1907. woul
consist Of three battalions Of for
companies each. the third battalio
to be composed of Companies !, X,
and NJ. ito remain unorganizod INT
an emergency arises" This third ba
TALON has never been organized VI
der this order
Il developed during tho cvenin
that some officers had been in consu
tatiOn with the War Depnrtmen
about the formation Of q third ba
talon.
W0MEb MAKE pIEE E0p