Norwich bulletin., 1918-01-17
WILL BACK UP
 HOME GUARpSMEN
If They Refuse to Pay the Two Dollar
 Personal Tax.

That the military emergency board, the controlling body in the Cennecti- cut Home guard, is prepared to fight for the guardsmen, if need be, is eHi- denced by circular No. 15, issued from headquarters at Hartford Monday, in which the members of the present state militia are told that the board any guardsHan who declines to pay his tax, amounting to the sum of $2.
 short time ago, upon request from municipal officials, Attorney General George E. Hinman gave an official opinion that the members of the Home guard are as liable for the personal tax as any other citizen and that they do not come under the law granting exemption to men in the military ser vice of the state. With thousands of men already in the national service, there will be great falling off in the amounts received by towns and cities for the personal tax, and officials are ! naturally not anxious to exempt 10000 i Home guardsmen in addition.
 The Home guard has practically taken the place of the former National 1 guard, members of which were exempt from the military tax, and later, the 1 personal tax. Circular No. 15, NJ E, B., points out that the present militia has done "as much in the service as | the National guard did during the years before the mobilization on the Mexican border in 1916' The military board, therefore, thinks it is entitled tc as much consideration. It intimates that the attorney general disregaEds the laws of 1917 in making his finding
 While the military board offers tc protect by every legal means" ar, guardsman who cares to refuse to pa. the tax, it IS possible that city ani revenue and the greatly increasei number of exemptions, will inelud, them in the tax and rely on their de clining to fight the matter on accoun lYof the small individual amount in yolved,
 Circular No, Is, issued under date 0 Jan. II, 1918, reads as follows:
 Tn some newspapers has been print cd an opinion of the attorney genera tS the state to the effect that member of the Connecticut Home guard are no entitled to exemption from the pay , nent of the personal tax Other law ,, yers of high standing who have give this matter some consideration dissen from this opinion. The attorney gen
 eral makes no reference to acts of tn general assembly of 1917 which wer
 intended to fix the status of the mem
 bers of the Home guard. The intentio
 or this legislation, as it was under
 stood at that time, was to place sue 9 members, in a respects and matter r concerning the state, upon the sam = standing that the National guard na d occupied, and for the same reasons = 'So far as the state is concerned tn t Home guard has been performing th n services and duties of every kin d which the National guard performe
 before it was taken in the Nation; I army. The Home gnardsmen have bee II given very generously of their tin ! | and means to protect the state in aH
 emergency from dangers of the san
 kind as the National guard was trair ed to meet, which are nov much mo-
 threatening. They have natrioiieai st done as much in the service of u j. state in the way of organization ar a preparation for military duty as u Il National guard did during the yea! d before the mobilization ea. the Mex tt can border in 1916. There appears is be no logical reason why the sta it should not treat the Home guardsms ,- sfavorably as it ever treated the N;
 tional guardsmen.
 If any town or city official thinks ] must be governed by the opinion
 the attorney general, and should su1
 iect or threaten to subjeet any men
 Der of the Home guard to the pa,
 ment of the personal tax, such men
 Der will be protected by every leg
 means by the military ernergen
 board, which was appeinted by t
 governor under authority of the ge
 eral assembly to perfect and naainta
 the Home guard. If information sheu
 be received that any city or town a
 thorities intend to undertake the es
 member of the Home guard, this boa
 without assuming to decide any que
 tions of law, will regard it as it's du
 to provide fof every such nemb
 whatever protection the laws in ia
 provide"