Evening star., 1919-03-30
Army and Navy News

Inc Iallure OF Congress to pass the
Army appropriation bill has left the
National Guard in an awkward posi-
ton. In view of its accomplishment
in the present war criticism OF the
system on which the guard rests
seems ungracious. The fact, however,
is that the system as a means of pro-
viding force for the defense OF the
nation in a war emergency is funda-
mentally faulty and should be recon-
structed. That, however. is no excuse
or justification for failure to provide
properly for the organization. For the
maintenance of order within the boun-
daries of the sevnfal states of the
Union police force of some sort is
a necessity. and the authorities must
organize either a state constabulary
or exercise the right that the Consti-
tuition of the United States gives them
to create a militia. This they can do
without regard to the federal govern
fnent. but under the national defense
act the federal government is required
to contribute certain sums of money
and certain, equipment provided the
states conform with the requirement
of the law in regard to equipment and
organization.
Most Of the states now have. owing
tion Guard served as discharge from
the state service, practically no
militia, and most have no constabu-
larry. Many Of the states are applying
to the War Department for authorize
ton to organize their guard, and want
to put in acquisitions for funds and
equipment under the national defense
act. The department Is forced to reply
that it has no money to use for that
purpose, and with equipment enough
for couple of million men on hand
that 1t has no authority to turn any of
it over to the National Guard without
the express authority of Congress.
Meantime some of the states are
complaining that they have no guard
and in event of any internal trouble
der The situation is very serious
especially at this reconstructive Pc
riod; but there is nothing that can be
dome until Congress takes action for
relief.
There are some interesting figures
in regard to the personnel construc-
tion OF the guard. A small percentage
only Of the guard. prior to the expe-
dition against Mexico, found it's way
to the border. Only about 125,000
were down near the Rio Grande, and
not more than half of them had been
in the organization thirty days be-
fore the call: AS soon as they re-
tiring from the service, so that wlen
the draft of the guard into the federal
service came the best estimate is that
not more than $4,000 of the men who
were on the Mexican border were in
the 100000 of the National Guard that
half million $4,000 were drafted men
to complete the eighteen guard d.
visions.
But it must not be supposed that
40. 600 Mexican border veterans were
the only national guardsmen to enter
the eighteen divisions. Thousands of
former guardsmen upon the call for
troops Immediately rendered their
service with the organizations with
which they at some previous time had
been connected. Unfortunately there
is no way of asceFtaining with any
degree OF accuracy the number of
these men who went back to the old
very considerable Nor are these the
only national guardsman who entered
the war for service on either side OF
the Atlantic.
Many men. who had. had training I'm
the guard, but who were too old for
f1cers in the National Army: and
many young. men who had done duty
in the guard found their way to the
officers training camps and thence
into the hard hghting. on the other
side. The fact that there was q guard
Organization made possible the call
ing into service the Rainbow. New
gland, Old Hictofy, the 27tfi and all
other National Guard divisions that
won distinction on the Marne. the Ar
gonne. against the Hindenburg line
and the many other places that they
helped to make famous. The regret
is not that they did not do well. but
that by better system they might
have been better prepared and SO
have suffered less.
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