Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-12-30
FUTURE OF THE
NATIONAL GUARD
Ii Continued. Ii VIII Have To BE Re-
constituted In Opinion OF
Sec. II aker


II Congress determines 10 continue
its National Guard as the army re-
serve Of he Nation. Secretary Baker
said the guard service will have TO be
reconstructed from the ground up.
LIBERALIZATION of the guard for war
service, the War department has held.
on the opinion Of Brigadier General
samul t. Ancell acting judge adyo-
cate general. will wipe out OF exist
ence he federalized regiments. When
the men are discharged. they Will re-
turn to civilian Life without any OBJ
legation either to the federal or state
governments to continue in Ma ional
Guard service.
Mr. Baker expressed a belief that
the problem OF the National Guard is
bound up closely with the question of
what Congress may do later in franz
ing legislation to es ablish a perma-
nent military policy. Existing law
provides for the regulars and the Nat
ional Guard. Should some system of
universal military training be worked
out. however, army officers said, it is
probable that the National Guard
would cease to exist. The War de-
partment has not as yet made any
recommendation on the subject, hav-
ing contented itself thus far Wi h
seeking appropriations only for the
regular army in the coming fiscal year.
There are many National Guard
units organized since the war by the
various states which are not affec ed
by the War departments ruling. In
some cases federal recognition has
been obtained, bringing the units
under the liberalization sections of
the act of 1916
It's Identity Lost
The great mass of the guard, how
ever, was merged into the temporary
forces of the army of the United
States for the war, thereby complete
ly losing its identity. These regi-
ments, including every historic mill
tary organization in the country, some
of them with records dating back to
the Revolutionary war and many of
them being survivals of Civil war vol
un .eer organizations must, under the
ruling, be reconstructed. recruited to
necessary strength and again present.
ed to the federal government for rcog-
milton before it can take place in the
federalized National Guard.
Another element of uncertainty in
the guard situation, it was said, is the
question of the extent to which divis-
have been diluted by requirements
from Ma .ional Army troops. In case
of regiments like some of New York
or New England units in divisions
which took part in the fighting almost
from the first, officers said now prob
ably contain less than so per cent of
their original personnel. Losses were
made good with men from various
parts of the country and who have no
National Guard status whatever.
To Carry Historic Names
Officers were assigned from training
camps at home or abroad and the re-
turning divisions or regiments, while
being the inheritors of the traditions
of the old Ma ional Guard units which
composed them and which, having a
favoring of the officers and men in
their ranks who came from the old
state service, probably will bear very
little resemblance to the units tina. en-
trained for camp after the guard was
drafted in July, 1917.
Mr.. Baker said he anticipated that
state authorities generally would not
attempt to recons .itute any of the old
regiments of National Guard until
after the divisions into which they had
been merged return from France. II
would seem desirable, he thought, that
men to be discharged from those di-
visions be given a chance to re-enlist
in the Guard. This would enable, he
said the reconstructed regiments to be
in fact as well as in name continual
lion of the old organization with every
right to carry the names of the his
toric battles in France-of Chateau
Thierry, the Second Marine, the Ourcq
the vesle, S.. Mihiel, Argonne Forest
Sedan, Cote Chatillion and other places
the divisions made famous, on their
banners.