The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-09-18
Still Maligning Vermont.
Burlington Free Press.l

So much has been said against Yer
mont troops within our own state it is |
hardly strange that newspapers outside |
of our commonwealth accept the esti- |
mate thus placed upon Vermont's spirit |
of patriotism and the character of our
response to the present call for world
service. The statement now sent to the
| New York Times from Washington bv
a special correspondent does the Green
| Mountain state such marked injustice
that we are constrained to state anew
the sitautiOn in Vermont. The Times
correspondent says among other things:
Vermont has made the poorest show
ing in the regular army recruiting since
the drive was begun on April l to raise
the army to war strength. Since April
/, 209,490 ma have enlisted in the reg
ular army. Only 40 of this number
have come from Vermont.
Vermont s war quota on April |,
was fixed at 10 men. In the five months
since it has furnished 40 recruits. At
this rate of recruiting it will be 1919
before the state fills its quota.
Utah whose quota was 756, has fur
nished 1872 men, or more than double
its quota since April l. New Mexico,
New Hampshire whose quota was $50
has furnished COS.
When Vermont set out to raise troops
for service in this war against Germany,
it was announced our men would be in
Vermont commands by themselves as
, in the Civil war in which the Vermont
| troops gained such renown and prestige
as soldiers Under these circumstances
=
Mountain boys would be eager to lose
their identity by joining the regular ar
my instead of aligning themselves with
Vermont units.
Moreover, with the plaudits of Dewey
and Clark and Mayo still ringing in
5 their ears it is not strange a host of
: Vermont youth preferred the navy To
the regular army. Others still were at
!, tracted to the aviation service, while
a host Of our youth sought service in
the various training camps, including q
, large number of medical corps men.
| 1t was no accident that Vermont men
e captured all the appointments for New
e England in the recent selection for OBJ
a servation service.
0 No state in proportion to its popala
: ton has larger representation in these
+ different branches of special servie,
than has Vermont. We should be givei
; credit for the generous and patriot
: response to the calls for service in thes
: special directions, when our young mel
are charged with neglecting to enliS
q in the regular army The Vernon
t Phoenix some time ago summed up thi
Y whole situation as follows, not includ
IS ing any representation in the Nationa
army.
k Nermont' S contribution to war serv
. ice is over 1000 men and officers in tn
: National Guard, between 200 and 300 i
!, the regular army, 49, in the navy an
over 500 i'll various other branches o
service, without mentioning the larg
contingent which went over the horde
long ago to enlist with the Canada
n troops. More than thirty Vermonter
n have been killed or seriously wounde
somewhere in France while fighting wit
: the British forces against the Hun
Vermont stands seventh among all tn
u states of the Union on men enlisted !
the National Guard and regular arm,
and ifethe total in service in all field
of action and activity could be figure
1T would undoubtedly stand first
er Since the Phoenix published those fig
ureS q considerable number of vQun
men from Burlington and other citil
rs and towns in Vermont have cnterc
an the aviation service, the navy. the med
en- cal corps and other branches Of the ser,
lct ice.
en- If such outside newspapers as IL
yes Times would couple their Statement
an regarding the way in which Vernon
$50 youth have responded to heir country
III call in special directions as well as Il
~ regular army, they would avoid doir
/, the state q marked injustice.
In