The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1919-10-18
REBUILDING THE
NATIONAL GUARD
GOOD PROGRESS REPORTED IN
NEARLY EVERY STATE BLYTHE
MILITARY DIVISION.
LOCAL UNITS ARE PRESERVED
Reorganization Is on the Regular Army
Basis, and Trained and Expert
enced Instructors Will Be Supplied
by War Department.
BY JAMES p. HoRNADAY.


BY JAMES p. HORNADAY.
WashingtOn.-GOod progress is be-
Ing made with the work of rebuild
Ing the National Guard of the coun-
try. Every state lost its entire Ma
tional Guard during the war. A good
many military men predicted that a
National Guard organization would
never again be formed, but events of
the last two o. three months show
that those predictions were wild of
the mark. Congress showed its friend
ship for the National Guard idea by
making adequate financial provision
for the reorganization Of the guard.
Practically every state governor has
also taken an interest in restoring the
organization, and as a result the mil
itary division of the war department
Is now able to report that the work
of forming guard units is making
good progress in every state. BY the
end of this fiscal year, it is predicted.
the organization will be back practi-
cally where il was when the United
States entered the war.
The federal government. under the
new system expects to retain a firm
hold on the National Guard, but at
the same time the fullest cooperation
Of the states is sought. In working
out the plan, the division of militia af-
fairs says. II was recognized that the
preservation of the local units must
he conserved and that the breaking
up of local organizations, as they were
broken up in 1917. would probably
never be tolerated again. For this rea-
son the bureau determined that the
tactical division should be the basis
of the organization.
Regular Army Plan Followed.
Under this plan the composition of
the units that go to make up the Ma
tional Guard organization must he the
same as that prescribed for the regu-
lar army, subject to such general eX-
ceptions as may be authorized by the
secretary of war. The strength of
the regular company, in time of peace
is 100 men, and that is the minimum
strength the bureau has fixed for the
National Guard. There has been some
objection to this from sparSely set
tied sections of the country, the oh
jectOrs saying the minimum strength
this objection the bureau has sug.
gested that in places where the 10O
strong company cannot be raised two
platnOns of 30 men each he organized
in nearby sections, the two forming q
single company.
But this suggestion has not been ia.
vorably received and the prospect
seems 10 be that the secretary of war
will not change the ruling that every
company shall have at least 100 mem.
| berS.
With n view to aiding the guard In
| its reconstruction the militia division
| has taken pains to select high grade
| officers to act as inSpectOr-inStructor
! These instructors are now starting out
on their rounds of duty. They arc
without exception men who saw serv
ice in France and the new National
| Guard will get from them the last
word in military training. The fed
eral government expects to he able
to furnish instructors for every. M
| tional Guard company in the country
| and in addition To these instructor:
| there will. of course. he representa-
tive of the war department associated
with the adjutant generals staff IL
each state.
So there is to be close union hetweer
the federal government and the state
| in building up the new state OrganiZa
ton. The war department has ais,
selected thousand sergeants from
the regular army who are to be unde
instructions for three months at tn,
infantry school of arms at Camp Ben
nlngs. Georgia. These men, nj IN,
end of the training course. are TO G,
out as sergeant instructors for guar
units.
Rumored Changes In Supreme Court
The reconvening of the Suprem
court. of the United States always re
wives talk about possible changes il
this tribunal. The fall meeting of tn
court this year has not proved an eS
ception to this rule. Chief Justice Ed
ward Douglass White and three of tn
associate justices, Joseph McKenna
Oliver Wendell Holmes and William II
Day, are of retirement age. The chic
! justice will be seventy-fOur In NOven
Der, Justice McKenna was seventy-si
in August. Justice Holmes was sey
enty-eight last March and Justice Da
was seventy last April. Each one
however. is vigorous, both mental
and physically, and not one of ther
as far as known has expressed an
thought of quitting work.
If the four members of the cour
who are in the seventy-year class. O
any one of them. had keen desire {
retire now would be an opportun
time, for the court at this fall session
is confronted with one of the beavies
dockets il ever had TO deal with. TIL
war interfered seriously with the wor
of the court. 1t did not serve to pre-
vent litigation being started but 1t di