Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1917-05-13
Additional Regiments Likely to
Be Reserved for Police Duty
Inside Border of United
States,
NEW MEXICO PART OF
NINETEENTH DIVISION
With Men of Sunshine State
Are Units From California,
Utah, Arizona, Colorado
and Nevada.
tsr MORNING, JouRsAL SPECIAL LEASED wiRsi

Washington, May 12.-The exact
place the national guard is TO fill In
the national army still is a matter OF
speculation in the war department
Under the recent announcement
that the states may raise additional
units up to a total national guard
force, including naval militia, OF 500
men for each representative or sem
ator, 1t is not even possible as yet to
forecast accurately the strength of
the organization when it is drafted
into the United States army.
1t is possible that an entirely new
element Of the national forces will be
ev olved. The suggestion has been put
forward that only twelve full divi-
sions of the guard be organized into
tactical units for purely military pur-
poses, and that would leave many
regiments unattached to divisional or
ganizations.
Police Duty for Many.
One proposal is that these addi-
tional regiments, or others substituted
for them, be assigned for police duty,
relieving the units which soon will be
needed ut training camps. In that
event, states might be encouraged to
recruit police regiments among older
men, giving them an opportunity to
serve their country without under.
going the hardships of campaigning.
In the circular issued by the mi
litia bureau on May 9Th, it was point
ed out to the adjutants general of the
several states that while the law
granted the right to each state to or
ganize new ma tional guard forces up
to the limit set in the national de-
Tense act, it was not the purpose OF
the department to encourage such
procedure. The state officials were
told plainly that the department be-
lieved 1t wiser to recruit all existing
guard organizations UP to full war
strength, each regiment to be backed
by reserve battalion from which
the force at the front could be main
tanned.
Strength Contemplated.
Under the department plan there
would be twelve divisions of state
troops with a number of extra regi-
ments. The total strength, exclusive
of recruit battalions, would be $4,000
men with all regiments at war
strength, If the guard is expanded
TO the full legal limit, however, il
would have peace strength of 402,-
600 and war strength of more than
600, 900, supported by reserve bat
talions totalling another 100000 OF
100000 men.
If the guard is expanded, a plan
for sixteen infantry and two cavalry
divisions had been prepared. A table
forwarded to the states shows the
tentative scheme of organizing, the
designations, beginning with the fifth
division, as the first four divisions
would be composed of regular troops.
Following is the proposed distribu-
ton of the southwestern infantry di-
visions by states. with the peace
strength quota for each state:
The State Organizations
Fifteenth division: Texas, 15,50O;
Oklahoma, 5000 Zone regiment of in
fantry from the Texas contingent
would be detached to the Nineteenth
division).
Nineteenth division: California
9,100; Utah, 5000; Arizona. 2,4OO;
Colorado, 4,S00; New Mexico. 2,4O0;
Nevada, 2,400.
Under this plan 24,7ea zen of the
total provided for in the militia Sec
ton of the naval defense act would
be reserved for the naval militia, in
cluding 500 men from Texas.
The two cavalry divisions would be
organized from New York, Massachu-
sets, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North
Carolina. Tennessee, Alabama, Geor.
gia. Michigan, South Dakota, Kansas,
Missouri, Illinois, Oklahoma, Texas
Kentucky and Utah.
The total of 402,965 men in the ma
tional guard thus contemplated would
be organized into 144 regiments of in
fantry. l6 regiments of cavalry, 4S
regiments of field artillery and 16
regiments of engineers, 16 field bat.
talions of signal corps, 1 S aero squad
rons and the necessary sanitary and
supply trains. Also supplementine
the mobile force would be 212 COM
panies of coast artillery, composing
l6 regiments, and one extra battalion
of infantry designed as coast artillery
supports