New Britain herald., 1917-07-10
MILITIA ENTERS |. $.
 SERVICE AUGUST 5
President Signs Call for Draft of
 National GuardSmen

Washington, July 1O.-President Wilson has issued his proclamation providing for the call and draft of the National Guard of all the states into the federal service of the United States government. With a stroke of the pen he added to the armed forces of the nation availa ble for use on foreign service more than 3OO,OOO men. This is the present strength of the National Guard units in and out of the federal service.
 The presidents proclamation pro- vides that the entire Nationa. Guard of the country by drafted into the military service of the national gov ernment as of and from Aug. next.
 It calls into the federal service on July 15 the National Guard of ten states not now in the federal service. These states are New York. Pennsyl- vania. Ohio, West Virginia, Wiscon- sin, Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska
 The proclamation calls into the federal service on July 25 the troops of nineteen other states, those of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Con- necticut, New Jersey, Delaware. Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Illinois, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Washing ton and Oregon, as we'll as those of the District of Columbia On the two dates specified these troops are merely called into federal service and not drafted. They will not be draft ed until Aug. 5, when all the guard of al the states will be drafted
 When drafted into the federal service these state troops will auto matlcally stand discharged from the state militia, and will thereafter be soldiers of the United States govern ment, subject to the rules and regu- latlons or the regular army. After being drafted they will be federal soldiers in the fullest sense of the Word liable for any forcing duty, and the president can order them to the trenches on the European battlefront Or elsewhere. Before being drafted they are merely state troops called into federal service for use in repel- ling invasion.
 Total of 295,997.
 On June 30 the strength Of the Ma tIonal Guard units called into Federal service was 4.13O officers and 1O6 2SO men. On the same date there were o,S7 officers and 189.717 men in Na- tlonal Guard units that had not been called into Federal service making a total of more than 295, 997 men which the proclamation will draft into Fed eral service on Aug. 5, and all of whom will be available for service overseas. When raised to war strength No
 900 men. After the force of 100000 new available has been drafted on Aug. 5 vigorous effort will be made to round out the National Guard to full war strength. If men cannot be raised by volunteering they will be drafted in accordance with authority given the President in the national draft law.
 While the Presidents call for men into the service of the Federal Gov ernment on July 15 and July 25 covers all men in the units not now in Fed eral service 1t exempts members of staff corps and departments not in- cluded in tactical organizations, and does not include those officers who will hereafter be notified that the President does not care for their ser vices under the call. The same is true of the draft.
 Officers will not be drafted unless the president cares to commission them as officers in the National Guard after it has been drafted. Those who are not wanted by the Federal Gov ernment will be notified by the War Department that they will not be drafted. The officers of the Guard not above the rank of Colonel who are drafaed and whose offices are prOvid- ed for in like organizations of the regular army. and whose services are to be utilized by the government will be appointed officers in the United States army in the arm, staff corps, or department, and in the grades in which they now hold commissions as officers of the National Guard. These appointments are to be effective from Aug. 5, and they are to be assigned to the organization in the United States Army composed of members of the National Guard organization in which at the time of the draft they hold commissions.
 Tle Presidents Proclamation.
 The presidents proclamation fol- lows:
 Whereas: The United States of America and the Imperial German government are now at war, and, having in view the consequent danger of aggression by foreign ener1y upon the territory of the United States and the necessity for proper protection against possible interference with the execution of the laws of the union by agents of the enemy, I, Woodrow Will son. president of the United States, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the constitution and laws of the United States, and through the gover- nors of the respective states, call into the service of the United States as of and from the dates hereinafter re-
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