Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1918-07-25
HOME TROOPS HELD AS MODEL
ORGANIZATION Of State ConstabuiaNe s
Serves to Keep Our Industrial
Troubles to a Minimum.

Lansing. -Michigan's State
Constabulary. or as IL Is officially known
Michigan Permanent Troops. at their
East Lansing post, were rigidly In
spected and warmly praised recently
by Simon Hamburger governor OF the
state OF Utah.
Not only did the governor OF the
Mormon state compare the Michigan
men 10 the Pennsylvania constabulary,
the pioneers in the field, but h. also
commented at considerable length up
on the wisdom of the Michigan 9th.
cials in the establishment OF the con.
stabulary some months ago.
IF you hadn't organized such a
body OF men" he put It, you I'M
doubtedly would have had lot OF In.
dustrial trouble in your industrial
cities and in the copper and iron
mining districts And am told you
have had practically none at all.
After inspecting the barracks and
those OF the troops who were in EA;
Lansing. accompanied by Col. Roy =.
Vandercook, Governor Bamberger dis
cussed in detail his ideas as 10 state
constabularies
1--WE have some peculiar situations
in Utah" said he. and we are aware
that before very long we must have a
state constabulary. And ! propose IN
model it in many ways after your
Michigan organization, a portion OF
which have seen here today Pos.
L.. o.
TO have as large an organization "a
you have right at the start. but we
can use your system and have our
barracks arranged much as you do.
at present We have two companies
OF regular army men at Camp Doug.
lass. They have been used 10 keep
down any disorder we may have. We
have larger smelters in our state, with
a population around them much as
YOU Michiganders have In your cop
per and iron countries. You know
what that means-you are sitting on
possible volcano all the time So far
the government has been very kind TO
leave the two companies with us. but
recently in Washington | was inform.
cd that ii would not be long until the
government would have to send the
soldiers for intensified service over
seas Then We will have to have
constabulary. for our National Guard
Is gone.
Little thought has ever been given
tn. idea Of state constabulary il
Utah until very recently Nevada has
assmall force OF % men, while Cali
fornia has one OF larger proportions
now in process of organization. The gov
ernor of Nevada told me not long ago
that he did not know what might have
happened in his state this winter had
il not been for the constabulary.
Not long ago. too. in a converse
ton with Governor Brumbaugh. OF
Pennsylvania. he told me that the
10 mounted men the state now had
scattered over IL, were worth infinitely
more than the $1,000 temporary mill
tia which have been organized and
constantly drilling | cite both OF
these governors merely to show that
the constabulary idea Is now consid-
cred the best plan a state can have
for home protection. We intend TO
have one in Utah, and | will not have
to wait for the legislature 10 meet
next spring TO organize il, either.
Under our laws, | can organize II my
self.
while there have been complaints.
and | suppose always will be, about
the cost 10 the state and the taxpayer
where permanent force OF constab-
uiary is maintained, IL strikes me that
counting the cost in dollars and cents
Is the least OF the question. II you
count the cost OF what lawless mobs
might do, in dollars and cents, you
will also find that your total runs
away up. II the state constabulary.
even at huge cost for maintenance,
can prevent loss of property running
into the thousands. 10 say nothing Of
the loss OF lives, would consider that
almost any sum OF initial expenditure
were wisely spent"
Governor Bamberger, during his
stay in Lansing. where he was making
Liberty Loan speeches. went into de-
tails as to the method OF working out
war activities on the part OF Michigan
In many respects, he said. the prob
lens which his state had to face were
akin to those arising in Michigan. He
was much interested in the move.
ments In Michigan for the purchase
OF seed corn. tractors and other plans
by which 1t is expected to accentuate
and increase the crops this year All
- n
ed in Utah. but he was doubly inter.
ested to grasp the details OF the work
in Michigan. and also to see how the