Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-10-06
National Guard in the Mel ting Pot
[From the Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle.

TT is much easier. of course. to
criticise the General Staff, at
Il Washington, than it is to do the
things that the General Staff is called
Upon in this war to do; therefore,
one should hesitate, particularly II he
be a layman to comment on the acts
of the General Staff, or upon Army
matters in general. And this spirit
of caution has held good. so far as
the Chronicle is concerned, in every
particular save one; and that is in
connection with the War Depart
ment's general aItitade toward what
was formerly TIN National Guard.
For some reeson or other-and they
may be good rjasons, for all we know
the attitude of the military powers
that-be at Washington toward the
National Guard has been anything but
cordial and encouraging; in fact the
definite policyg of the War Depart
ment. for O. long time past, seems to
have been to destroy the identity of
the National Guard as rapidly as pos
sible-a thing now almost completely
accomplished.
Step by step. the identity of the
National Guard has been destroyed;
piece by piece it has been broken up;
been thrown into the military melt
ing pot, until to-day almost all local
and state pride in these respective
organizations-many of them bound
together by almost social ties and
strengthened and inspired by noble
traditions-is about to be obliterated.
But whether this is going to make
for better military service, whether
1t is going to better bring out the
fighting qualities of our soldiers
however it may please the several
chair warriors" to thus nalionalize our
Army-may be quite another matter.
indeed, it is a matter upon which
many of the best military men of this
country. and of the world. distinctly
disagree.
Great Britain. for instance, has for
ages pursued the policy of recogniZ-
ing and encouraging distinctive mill
tary units, by name as well as by a
distinctive uniform. Many of these
English and Scotch regiments are
famed in history and it is considered
a privilege and honor to belong to
them. Their men seem to feel, quite
naturally, that, in addition to the 10y
atty they owe to their country, they
owe sort of special devotion to the
organization to which they belong
and are especially charged with up
holding it's proud traditions.
This system prevails, also, in
greater or less extent in the German
army and in the other military estab-
lishments of Continental Europe. 1t
is difficult to see how 1t can, in any
way, lessen the efficiency of a ma
tion's fighting men.
1t so happens that in this country
we had-or did have, until the War
Department started in to blot them
out-military units famed in history,
with proud traditions to stimulate
and inspire them; companies and reg
iments that have made history in all
the wars in which this country was
ever engaged. from Bunker Hill to
Monterey and from Bull Run to San
Juan Hill. They are naturally made
up to-day-as they have been through
generations past-of men from the
same cities and sections, with more
or less close personal ties and held
together by local pride. as we'll as a
sort of special love for the particular
Unit to which they belong. many OF
these men being the sons and grand
sons Of men who fought with these
same units in other wars and whose
names have been identified with these
organizations, for generations past, in
peace as well as in war.
But now comes the order to disor-
ganize and disband many of these
units; to change their time honored
names, to reassgn their officers and
to rearrange their rank and file. Is it
any wonder that this order is CON
sidered revolutionary by many men
in the service, or that 1t is discourage