The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-04-11
PLANS PERFECTED FOR ORGANIZATION
 OF HOME GUARDS
Big Meeting Arranged for Thursday Night at Or pheum-Plan to Enlist
 Every Man in the City

Thursday night at s o'clock at the old Orpheum theatre a mass meeting VIII De held by the Birmingham Home Guard, at which time a permanent organization will be perfected. Plans now being worked out by the executive committee will be announced, and a strenuous campaign launched to enlist every man in Birrning- ham under the oath of the organization. Three hundred and forty-siX men of Bir- mingham came forward Tuesday and en- rolled as members, at the recruiting office opened at the city hall, under the dlrec- ton of Col T. o. Smith and Maj. Lucien c. Brown, with Lewis r.. Dunlap, Roy Armstrong and Ed Patillo in cnarge.
 Tuesday night the executive committee met at the city hall and went into ex- ecutve session. for the purpose of form ing plans and devising means of bringing the guard to a hasty state Of prepafa- tion. The committee will announce soon the appointment of leaders and the man. ner in which the city has been districted.
 DUTY TO ENLIST
 "The enlistment in this organization does not in any way intefere with en- listment in the regular army if the appn- cant so desires to do later on,' stated Major Brown. Every local mans duty IS to enlist, and we expect 10 enroll thou sands of men before the week is ended, concluded Major Brown.
 Outside of the 346 men who enlisted Tuesday, Loveman Joseph & Loeb Will recruit 50 men, the Jefferson Rifle club, 21O strong. with 130 armed men, well drilled, will offer their services, and the offer of the Klu- KluX Klan to enroll loO men will be accepted.
 A feature of the meeting last night, prior to the executive session of the com mittee, was the appearance of Dr. Bryan and Dr. Goings, two prominent negro physicians who stated that they stood ready to do their part, and representing the negroes of Birmingham they assured the white citizens that the negroes would assist in any way to protect the lives and guard the property of the citizens of Birmingham. as they considered the white man their criterion.
 NEGROES LOYAL Col T. o. Smith, acting as chairman Of the meeting, replied to the negro phy- sicians, and stated that he was sure that southern men who know the south ern negro felt assured of their Ioya<y, and that he wanted to assure the ne- groes on behalf of the white men, that they would be protected at all times. A special committee was named to work out plans for the Thursday night mass meeting, and report to the executive com mittee at o'clock this afternoon at the city hall This committee is composed of I4ucien c. Brown, chairman; A. F. de- Funiak, MT. Leland. B. A. Reynolds and Col. Charles Ledbetter.
 Several talks were made prior to the executive session, among which was talk by Captain Mabry, wherein he pledged the support of the Jefferson Rifle league.
 The oath of the Birmingham Home Guard is as follows:
 T. the undersigned, hereby enlist as a member of the Birmingham Home Guard of Birmingham, Alabama, and pledge my services, free of charge, to this organization. l agree to serve in cases of necessity, such as riots, strikes, uprisings, or any and all dis orders that cannot be controlled by the civic authorities, the term of my enlistment to continue as long IS my said services may be needed during the
 present unrest occasioned by the state
 of war now existing. And I further
 agree to obey all orders and require
 ments of the officers of this organiza
 tion
 Lieut.. Herbert J. Baum acted as secre- tary f>he meeting last night Lieuten- ant Baum served six years in the Tennes- see National Guard before coming to Bir mingham to make this his home.