New-York tribune., 1919-02-16
General Protests Against
Tendency in Washington
to Belittle Organization
Serious Handicaps Shown
Pleads for Legislation to
Permit Fighters to Go
Back to Old Commands
By General George w. Wingate

During the hearings before the Con-
gressional committees on the Dick and
Hay bills and upon many other occa-
sions various high army officers and
represe entatives OF the War Department
insisted, particularly through inspired
publication, that the National Guard
of the states was practically of no
value rs military organization, that
it could not be controlled by the War
Department, but few of It's members
would respond to call from the Pres-
dent for active service and that those
who did so would not serve outside the
United States.
At the same time they asserted the
army, small though it was, was ready
for service, and it either had the sup
plies necessary to fit it and also the
Guard to do this or it had arranged
SO they could be procured when re-
quired.
Texas having been invaded and its
border threatened, President Wilson on
July 10, 1916, ordered to Texas much of
the regular army and the National
Guard of the states. 1t was three
weeks before the former reached the
border. The National Guard of New
York and of many other states were
in their armories in forty-eight hours.
But their service equipment, which the
government was supposed to have ready
did not come for months. In fact,
some of the organizations were not
fully supplied at the end of their six
months service in Texas.
1t appeared that the War Department
had planned that the regiments it
called out would go in leisurely way
TO different camps, where they would
be equipped while being organized and
would take three months. But the
emergency was pressing and the Guard
was hustled to Texas so rapidly that it
was short Of almost everything. Many
recruits went in citizens clothes, and
the field artillery for several weeks
after their arrival only had ammuni-
tion enough to fight their guns for
twenty minutes-much less than Villa
had.
The National Guard then had total
paper strength of 100000. On July 20
it had on the border $4,000 and in
camps 1926, making 1926. In a
|
border. Compared with this, the regu-
lar army on March 13 was authorized
TO be incrcT;ed by 10000, and had from
chat time to August 81 obtained 8,463
recruits, leaving it at that time 29,300
short, and on December /, 1916, had a
combatant strength of $4,000 and 10000
coast artillery; total, $4,000.
When the Guard returned at the
close of 1915 it's organization had had,
as above stated, six months service
under war conditions and under the
direction of regular officers. They
were. therefore, aft to fight"
Guard Reduced on Eve of War
Notwithstanding that relations with
Germany in the beginning Of 1917 were
greatly strained and virtually all mill
tary students and most thinking peo-
pie regarded war as inevitable in the
near future, the Guard was ordered to
be reduced to its peace strength. Con-
sequently its organizations had to dis
charge about half of their trained men
who scattered to the winds. Then in
April, 1917, came the declaration of
war and the Guard again was called
out. 1t responded with alacrity, but
how it missed the trained soldiers it
had been compelled to discharge! 1t
was sent to different camps and fran
tically endeavored to procure recruits
1t was successful in doing this to a
great extent in short time. But the
men it secured were green and had to
be hardened and trained.
The method in which this was man.
aged by the War Department deserves
nothing but praise, and showed that
the failure on the border had been a
most valuable lesson. The idea of the
draft was stroke of genius.
But what the Guard had accomplished ID
IN Texas had not seemed to alter the
feeling in the War Department against
it. Whether from this reason or not
a systematic effort was instituted by
the military authorities in Washington
to break it up.
No Credit for Service
Thus it was provided in the law
passed by Congress at their instigation
that the members of the Guard at the
expiration Of the term of service under
the Presidents call should not, as had
been the case in the Civil War, the
Spanish War and "the peace war on the
border" return to their state organiza-
tions, but should become civilians, SO
II they should desire to return to the
Guard they must enlist for a full six
year term (threeI years with the colors
and three in the reserve), without any
credit for their previous service, but as
ordinary recruits, which, of course
they never would do.
But the guard was given even a
harder blow than this. Not only his
tory but common sense recognizes that
the esprit du corps" of an organiza,
tion adds largely to its value. Some
of the National Guard organizations
such as the City Troop of Philadelphia
the others antedate the Civil War and
served in it. Each of these had many