New-York tribune., 1917-01-10
The Mobilization Fiasco

mobilization Of the National Guard last
summer Mayor Mitchel's Committee on
National Defence has done public ser
vice of high value.
Here is q body without an axe of any
sort to grind. The average citizen may
distrust the findings of military boards.
Reports by National Guard officers on
what was accomplished by the state forces
last summer under very trying and dis
couraging conditions land what was ac-
comphshed is a splendid tribute to the
spirit and willingness Of the rank and file
of the nilitia) are naturally colored by an
appreciation of the work Of the Guardsn1en
as individuals. They gloss over the break
down of an unworkable system because OF
pardonable anxiety to avoid charging
failure as soldiers against loyal, self
sacrificing and in every way deserving
body Of men.
On the other hand, the public may feel
that reports made by regular army officers
on militia shortcomings are unconsciously
biassed. Regular officers have scant sym
pathy with militia methods. They look for
results and are unwilling to give credit to
good intentions which cut no figure in act
ual results. They see in the development
of the National Guard system menace to
the usefulness Of the regular army and an
obstacle to the creation Of any rational,
modern system Of national defence. They
are naturally impatient with the Guard,
and with all its works.
But here is a report made by an intelli-
gent, fair-minded civilian body, striving to
Judge the mobilization last summer strictly
on its merits. It pays just tribute to
the men who went to the Mexican border
and STAYED there for six months-most of
them at a great personal sacrifice. But
merely because the men were willing,
patient and patriotic, the board cannot
whitewash the vicious military system of
which they were the victims. It cannot
condone the Hay law scheme for the fed
eralization Of the National Guard under
conditions which made such liberalization
a burlesque. II cannot find a good word
to say for an alleged reorganization Of our
military establishment which tried to force
into the first line Of national defence half
trained and unframed troops, which were
fit only to constitute a second or a third
line.
In the opinion Of the committee the
mobilization Of 1915 was just what Gen
cral Leonard Wood sptly called it-"a
tragedy" 1t represented a tragic misuse
Of military material. It was blunder
from the economic as well as from the
military point Of view.
How foolish it is TO take from civil life
and to send 10 do patrol duty on the
border, mature men of relatively high
earning power, many Of them with depen-
dent families, when there is a surplusage
Of very young men, unmarried and Of low
earning power, available to do that duty!
What a topsy-turvy idea it was to draft
men Of the former class and then look to
private employers to keep on paying them
their salaries, instead Of drafting men OF
proper military age, whose diversion from
production and industry would hardly have
been noticedl
The assembling Of the 1885, 800 Guards
men who were on the border last August,
the committee reports, represented an an
nual loss in productive capacity Of $124,-
65O,OOO. The assembling Of a like number
of youths Of nineteen would have repre-
sented an annual loss Of only S3S,0S7, 500.
II the Guard had been at full strength last
summer and sent into the field at that
strength, the two totals would have been
SAIL 100000 and S125,675, 900. And these
calculations omit the sums paid by en-
poyers TO enlisted Guardsmen and the re-
lief given to Guardsmen's dependents by
the Federal government, the state govern
ments and through private subscriptions.
From the military point Of view the
mobilization was a failure, because the
Guard. as mobilized, was deficient in num-
bcrs. in equipment and in training. The
strength of the Guard organizations called
OUT was 114,OO0. But 28,50O men failed to
respond 10 the call. About the same num-
ber we're rejected for physical disability,
so that Of the original force only about
$1,000 remained in service.
Between the date Of the call and August
81 81. 500 recruits were obtained-9,0O0 of
them from Guard organizations which
we're not called out. The prescribed peace
strength Of the Guard on the border on
August 81 was 1877, 800. So that the Guard
in the field was only 1000 above peace
strength and was ll3,5OO below war
strength. Many bodies Of Guardsmen, IN
spite Of a costly recruiting campaign at
home. lost strength between the date Of
mobilization and August 10. New York,
for instance, sent 1855 men to the border
at the beginning. But on August 10 the
strength of the New York Guard in Texas
was only 1896.
-. fcr tho eventual