Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-03-15
ORGANIZED MILITIA SHOULD BE FEDERAL BODY.

The imminent possibility Of war with Germany the adop.
ton Of increase the military forces Of the nation
Guard Of Vron the this State tat face
with a. a serious situation.
vide adequate force somebody forth with the
ton that Vermont itself State shall also into the draft
but These ext give the st Of the bill
has introduced in the Legislature and H. 25
hereafter established shall fall below the minimum strength
shall continue for period than thirty days. the Gov
hereby authorized to draft from among the able
is located who liable for military duty under the laws OF
is S s s s5 Ss supply go such as s
nor more than twenty-five years Of age shall be unmarried
and have no relatives dependent upon hem and shall be
1t is also provided that men drafted" shall be chosen
negects or refuses to respond thereto forfeit three
dollars to be recovered in an action OF tort on TINS
eral."
The first most striking effect of this proposed forced
tary department Pooh Bah who could into any family
in Ghittenden county for example to help fill out Company
provision applying alike but the victims of chance,
the executive and the aduan general pulling the strings
If this for the patriotic defence OF
the nation would be different matter but it is entirely
opposed to the ideas of the best military authorities OF the
militia. ~ 9''9
To paraphrase famous utterance of Abraham Lincoln
this nations military cannot exist half State and half
national Congressman Frank L. Greene uttered funda-
on On e March OF s e
want right here that in opinion this idea that the
% out ad @ that
should be under the and control and of the
under the authority and direction of Congress
and the President its sphere of usefulness as the reg
uar the only safe and sound which
citizen volunteer be properly organized and safely
maintained"
the National Guard and the Continental Army
should be kept side by side The federal has
not carried out the idea clearly enunated by Congress-
man Greene and result we have militia which neither
State nor national.
Guard 1t has spent freely of its funds maintain that
ganzaton in the belief that it helping toward national
system of militia half State and half national has broken
When the National Guard of Vermont was called upon
for service in connection with the SpanshAmerican in
1885, found that had been spending money and vast
ing time in training number of who could not
the nation When President wilson called upon Vermonts
National Guard for service the Mexican boundary in 1916
again found that had been wasting funds in similar
1t has latterly theory that the provision of
armories would help to solve the problem of inducing young
long been able the advantages Of an through
the efforts of the late Ex-Governor u A. Woodbury. and
panies when the banquet was given in Burlington just
previous to the departure of the troops for the Rio Grande
for this condition Of affairs by different speakers being lack
of the right kind support by this CITY, We glad to
that Company to-day has regained it's high place in the
States military department and again proud of it,
The point is that when the test in connection with
actual service in the field Vermont found that had been
paying out thousands of dollars for training in it's
who could not be used by the United States military de-
partment considerable part OF our time and effort and
money had been wasted.
The officers of the Vermont National Guard do
their part noby 1t the burcated system that fault
this proposed scheme of drafting for the State mill
tia the right for national defence there might
shadow of of it, We have already shown in
previous issues that according to the views of eminent mill
tary authorities both in the United States department
and out of the idea of maintaining militia half State and
half national has broken down completely Why then should
undertake to draft for State service when that is
not what the nation needs?
Vermont has not been nggardy in spending money
the National Guard In 1882 spending $l3
National Guard of Vermont The last time the depart
the spending of less than $4,000 in
ginning with the present century the expense Of
Vermonts military has follows 1901 S2365
1902, $243O568 1903 $23,l8949 1904 $242S51O; 1906
$26664 1906 $2S4398O; 1907 $94O878 1905 $27 OF
1909. $2581413; 1910 $36O944O 1911 46: 1912