The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-07-11


mont, however, the statement that only
So men have enlisted for the regular
army does not make us out such a re-
calcitrant state In the first place II
ought 10 be stated 20 The Globe, as well
as 10 the other papers which have com
mented on the situation, To Vermonts
discredit, that long before the outbreak
OF the war with Germany Vermont had
contributed considerable percentage OF
her eligible young men to munitions
making plants in other states, chiefly oil
the New England division. We have no
means of knowing exactly how many
Young men have left the state during
the past three years for ~ purpose oil
working in munitions plants, but we
know from direct observation in our own
community that the number was large
Those men, OF course, are lost TO Yer
monts potentialities as a recruiting state
unless the men return OF their own voh'
tion and volunteer for the service. they
have registered, to be sure, many OF them
in the communities where they are no"
located. some of them in their home
towns in Vermont But they are vir'
tually lost as recruiting possibilities IN
Vermont. That explains part OF YER
mont's apparent slackness IN enhsting
for the regular ser vice,
In the second place, it should be stated
that Vermont has not had the benefit
of direct campaign for regular army
recruits. If the method of recruiting
that secures results in other states had
beep followed, we should have had regu-
lar army recruiting stations in all the
larger places of the state; but, as mat
ter OF fact, these regular army recruiting
stations have not been supplied. In con.
sequence, there has been no personal sp-
peal to the possible recruit; and those
that have drifted into the regular army
service went that way only because OF
their own efforts. Without recruiting
stations and without that personal ap-
neal. we have not come up to the mark
in regular army enlistments. Do you
wonder at it,
To prove that recruiting stations and
the personal appeal are productive OF re-
suits in Vermont it is only necessary to
point out the enlistments to the United
States navy. There are two or three
such recruiting stations in Vermont, and
Vermont has contributed almost her full
quota of men for the navy. II there
had been six OF these recruiting stations
Vermont would have filled her quota
long before this; but under the condi.
lions she has done very WELL Her quota
for the navy is 400 men, and, If our re-
ports are correct, she has considerably
passed the 800 mark, despite the taet
that the government has lett the state
pretty much alone in the general cam
paign of recruiting.
Moreover, Vermont has had regi-
ment of infantry, part OF the National
Guard, under arms for several months
and has also supplied men to guard rail
road bridges and industrial plants in our
neighboring state of New Hampshire.
Moreover the regiment is almost recruit
ed to full war strength, 2,0o2 men, Be-
sides that, Vermont has sent many men
to the colors of the British and the
French, men who have been giving their
services and their lives for months, even
wears. Barre, for instance, has had as
many as a score of men in the trenches,
some of whom will never return to their
homes. Others have been sent to the
ambulance corps service in France and
are doing their bit for the cause OF de-
mocracy, while more joined the naval re-
serve.
Summing it all up, Vermont has al
ready contributed approximately one
tenth of her eligible young men for war
service without waiting for the draft
Can you truthfully say that Vermont Is
Stacker state?