Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-11-17

" subject of demobillzing the
Army agree that the task be-
fore them is quite as great as that
of assembling the military forces. AS
one of them puts it, 1t Is harder to
unscramble the eggs than to make
\ the omelet. However. all seem to have
less fear of messing the job than the
competent officers had ofr'spoiling the
omelet" in the first place. Their rea-
son Is not far to find. They know that
with the close of the fighting there
organization for the purpose of rails
ing, supporting and handling an army
such as the War Department did not
possess at the beginning of the war.
The one division that shines by rea-'
son Of its efficiency from it's incep-
tion Is that off, the provost marshal
of the Army. who. with his competent
stan OF Army officers and able civil
ians, gathered into the federal serv-
Ice the National Army and the
draftees who supplemented the Ma
tIonal Guard and the Regular Army.
When 1T comes to q question of mus
tering out the members of the Army
OF the United States Maj. Gen. Crowd
~ . NAvASIViL Sd1A 10 lIuSSCO " 4ldAol0
a certain part of 1t in way that
no other organization. since no other
has had the same experience, can ap-
proach.
For months after the declaration of
war the War Department dallied over
the question Of transporting troops to
France. but when the time cams. and
after some experimentation, q system
was worked out by which what was
generally considered the most diff
oIllf hfff ~ - hA HyoS,r
solved. and the transportation Of
troops at the rate Of 100000 = month
became an accomplished fact. The
same organization can be relied upon.
and the Navy medical officers. to
bring the troops back with safety
and In good health.
At the outset the men Of the newly
summoned armies were not all clothed,s
purchase and storage division Of the
general stan they have been well
clothed and blanketed, and there is NO
reason to fear that this viii be
changed. for the thoroughness Of Gen.
known.
AT the beginning Of the war the
war Department made no preparation,
believing that the Germans would
e e,ne up their msrcS EVIL ways Of sinking
whole system has been reorganized.
and general STAFF is directing the
stha, military-and that word 10
nberally construed-in a systematic
functionins perfectly. but Il the 70! war ar
had continued little longer until 1t
had acquired smoothness it's value
would nave been more apparent. In
necessity, and there it viii of neces-
sity remain directing things, until the
war Is over and the United States
Army Of German occupation returns
to the United States
THE NATIONAL. GUARD. according
to the national defense act. juno
3, 1915. OF rather that part Of the
guard which was drafted into the
federal service. went out Of existence.
Section III Of that act says chat
they shall stand discharged from the
militia" and 1t Is generally UNDER
stood that the militia bureau Of the
Army takes the words at their literal
meaning, but 1t Is equally we'll known
that some OF the states take another
view; and that Is that the national
government cannot in any such way
terminate the contract between the
state and Its citizens who entered the
guard. II such contention be sound,
and the Constitution seems to help
that view, tho next question to be
considered Is. whether the time of the
guardsman spent In the federal sery-
Ice ts to be deducted from the period
of his enlistment in the guard. and
on this point the best opinion seems
to be that IL a mans time expired
while he was in the service Of the
government he would ipso facto be
discharged from the guard.
II the provision in the national de-
Tense act Is held to be sound It leaves
the militia of the several states at the
present low ebb in number upon the
discharge of the former militiamen
from the Army. and the next question
Is. what will be the future OF these
ex-guardsmen who have had the mill
tary experience and shown themselves
worthy of all that has been said about
them? Beyond doubt many Of them
will desire to keep up the association
IN some form Of military organization.
but without legislation Of positive
nature, there Will be no place for
them other than return to the Ma
tional Guard, for that is the oniy Mace
which the law OF the land leaves omen
to them. ~pe''
The possibility of legislation opens
fruitful field for discussion, and IL is
OF SO great bearing upon the future
OF the nation that there should be no
legislation without the fullest consid-
GRAFTON. IT the militia situation has
proved itself able to provide the United