Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1918-01-03
WHY VERMONT IS
NOT A STACKER
Green Mountain Son at Camp
Green Produces the Facts
/, and Figures.

army have not been great and her
heavy enlistments in the, National
Guard and the navy have not been CIV
en- equal publicity, has reached down
into the Southland and the Vermonters
at Camp Greene were much disturbed
recently by printed reference to the
Green Mountain states fall from grace.
II there is any one single aggregation
Of men who know what Vermont has
done, II Is the LIST Vermont infantry,
the remnants Of which are now sta
toned here. and the old State had as
many defenders as there are men in the
regiment. Capt. Ernest w. Gibson OF
Brattleboro, who enlisted hundreds Of
men personally. took up the cudgels
Tor the State and his letter of protest
TO the Charlotte Observer evoked the
following editorial expression:
Captain Gibson of the Vermont In
fantry had probably overlooked the
Observers editorial which appeared two
days after the criticism of his State,
which criticism, as he correctly SO In
tlmates was based on information cir
culated by northern papers. 1t was
Immediately followed by mild protest
from Vermonter in camp and whose
facts were availed of at once in the
cause of fairness to that State. The
readers Of this paper cannot fail in
admiration of the spirit manifested by
Captain Gibson in the defense he makes
of his native State, and of the sentiment
he expresses in the closing paragraph.
Vermont friends at Camp Greene have
in Captain Gibson a well-poised cham
pion and one whose very earnestness
enlists the conviction of the reader and
ready sympathy with him."
Captain Gibson's letter of protest
was as follows:
To the Editor of the Observer:
My attention is called to your recent
editorial THE Recruiting Record" in
which it is stated in substance that Ver-
mont is one of the laggard States in the
matter of voluntary enlistments for the
army. The Observer can hardly be called
to account for the assertion contained
in the editorial, since the same charge has
been made in northern papers. which by
reason Of their near location to the State
criticized, were in position to know
better. know you are only too willing to
have the facts appear.
The war departments published record
of States failing to meet their quota only
covers the regular army. Two other ar
mics are in the process of formation. the
National Guard army and the national
army. The first quota for the national
army has been filed by each State
through the draft The only fair basis OF
determining if a State has filled its quota
is to take it's record for the two armies
where voluntary enlistments are accepted
namely. the regular army and the Ma
tional Guard army.
The Acknowledgement Of the army has
not furnished, SO far as know, the Off
cial statistics of enlistments since June 30
The official statement will be made when
the quota is levied under the selective
service law. Therefore any comparison
must now stand on the figures of June
30. 1917.
In the whole nation. between the date
Of the call of the Vermont troops and
June 80. there were enlisted in the regular
army and the National Guard. 301. 693 men
or 26.15 per cent of the gross quota ap-
portioned by the President to the several
States. In Vermont according to the
figures given to the public by Governor
Graham, for the same period there were
1916 enlistments. or 40.57 per cent. of the
gross quota. AS compared with the entire
nation Vermont furnished 155.14 per cent
of its share. In enlistments in the two
armies, Vermont followed Oregon, $3.50 pei
cent; Wyoming, 55.31 per cent; Kansas
$40 per cent; South Dakota, 47.06 PEI
cent; Maine. 46. &c per cent, and Iowa 4
per cent and stood seventh.
Taking the strength of the Nationa
Guard at the time OF the call, and en-
listments to June 30, 1917. in the Nationa
Guard and regular army, the aggregat,
for the United States was 465, 1856, or 40.4
per cent of the gross quota. Vermont'l
aggregate for the same period was 2,1S8 o.
67.H per cent. AS compared with the res
of the United States Vermont furnished
1852 per cent. and stood eighth in the lis
being passed only by Hawaii, Oregon, Dis
trict Of Columbia, Maine, New Hampshire
Rhode Island and Wyoming.
So many enlisted voluntarily in Vernon
that the State was called upon to furnish
but 1,049 men for the national army, o.
1888 per cent. Of its allotment for the ag
mics. Windham county more than fille,
Its quota, was not called upon to furnish
any men. and in other counties only few
men were required
Vermont has always done her part. NJ
more patriotic people are to be found. Bat
Ting with a naturally barren soil and
sometimes bleak climate, her citizens
while building n rugged character tina
has made It's impression on that of tn
nation, have made the land respond AM
have wrought wealth far above the av
erage.
May point to facts of history to prov
her patriotism? When England, with tn
power of her great navy, tried, immedi
atey after the Declaration of Indepen
dence. to separate New England fror
the rest of the colonies, her green lands
men built feet and fought a battle o.
Lake Champlain which ended the hope O
the mother country, her fighting me
turned the tide at the Battle of Benning
ton and forced Burgoyne's surrender
they dragged the cannon across 200 mile
Of almost trackles wilderness and mad
the success Of Washington at Bosto
possible; while fighting for the colonie.
she maintained her independence of a
the world for 10 years and until accepte
into the Union; In the War Of 1872, whe
Britain again tried to invade New Ems
land by Lake Champlain. her men VIII
had never seen the ocean, manned tn
boats again fashioned from her forest
and under the gallant Marlborough ser
defeat: It was one of her college pres
dents who led the charge at Chapultepe
falling at the moment Of victory; 1t wa
her Dewey who commanded the victoria,
fleet at MANILA her Clark who pilote
the Oregon around the cape and brougl
her safe and ready for the battle at Sal
tiago; IA days after the first call for bord,
service came the First Vermont und
an able commander, president of OF
Of her colleges. was 1900 miles from hon
and ready for the emergency; with II
breaking out of this war her young mi
went in great number into the Canadif
army and have been fighting and fallir
in front line trenches; the State with
Lao. 10, hos 1, w,,tAy l.,