Milford chronicle., 1920-02-06

work properly. He considered it pOss
ible to get a regiment of infantry. H
, had had eight or ten youth desiring
TO know when the company there wa.
to be organized. expressing a desir,
TO enlist. Some of the old men woulI
also come back. If you can get l.
good captains We can get - good com
panies, a regiment with regimenta
pride" He believed a company of g.
men can be recruited in Dover
including fair percentage o.
service men. He made a poll of the
men present last night and is express
ed their willingness to go back with
the guard under proper conditions
Major .Lefevre said he would do what
he could to help build the guard up
Let's revive the First Delaware In
fantry," he said. "and not an engineer
corps"
Lieut. Tomlinson of Dover said he
had found many of the service men
anxious to get back into the service,
/ but the force must be a unit to at
tract them. He said 65 men could be
! recruited in and around Dover. Capt.
Henry Hazel of Dover conceded in
this view. Capt. Robert Simmons of
Dover said there are many young men
coming in who can be counted on. He
wanted to see the First Delaware
Regiment reorganized
Capt H. NJ. Jones Of Dover suggest
ed that the American Legion sound
its members as to enlistment
Major Cannon OF Milford said the
new material there is limited. while
the old men will not come back.
Maj. Harry B. Van Solver of Milford
said difficulties would be encountered
in recruiting any guard, but we ought
to have one and the start should be
made at once. He thought it poss-
ible to get the men. He didn't think
the country mad got to a point where
it had to depend on so cents a night
to get out its manpower.
Col. Theodore Townsend, former
commander OF the First Delaware
regiment, whose home is in Milford,
became reminiscent. The National
Guard in Delaware, he said, had its
inception in the American Rifles, or
ganized in Wilmington early in the
~ 5, which supported itself and rep
resented Delaware in the Centennial
military parade in Philadelphia in
1876. The American Rifles later be-
came Co. A, National Guard of Del
aware, Co. B was next formed in Mil
ford by DR.. George w. Marshall, Col.
Townsend and others. The du POnt
Guards of Wilmington later. Co. c,
followed; then the Dover Company,
Georgetown, New Castle and other
towns. Today, he said, we are just
as loyal as we were then. He agreed
with Major Lefevre, that with earn
est, efficient men at the head, any un-
it can be formed and ought to be. He
said the State is badly in need of a
National Guard and also State Po-
lice. He believed the guard can be or
ganized, but chiefly of the youths who
are coming up, with some who have
been in the service, but was about |
the limit for any of the towns down |
the State. 1t was done in 1899 and can
be done in 1920
Lieut. Henry T. Bush of Co. A, the |
new company in Wilmington, said |
there would be no difficulty in raising |
two or three companies in Whining |
ton, with or without pay. The necess- !
ity for a State Guard certainly exists. |
Lieut.. Warner of the same company |
advocated compulsory military service /
also some form of military organiza-
ton. Lieut.. Harry E. Speakman of the
same company, told of the difficulties
in recruiting The New England
States took things in their own hands,
enacting such laws as were necessary.
He promised to help the movement
here as much as he can and to stay
with it,
Capt. c. NJ. Dillon thought it would
De hard to get enough service men
low to organize the guard
Major Joseph c. Lawson told of the
lifiiculty in maintaining an organized
orces He said labor unions opposed
heir members going with the guard,
while unOrganized capital had also
brown obstacles in the way through
he latter opposition had been remOv-
ID. He would favor any unit that
would reduce the demand on the man
,ower of the State.
Lieutenant Warner asked whether
t would be possible and advisable to
rganize effective machine gun COM
,anies in Delaware.
Gen. -Wickersham said they could be
ormed with complete infantry regi
lents.
The governors guests were: Adju-
l. Pusey Wickersham,
secretary of State Everett c. Johnson,
Warner Reed, Theodore Townsend,
ohm w. Ramsey, William H. Conner, i
:. NJ. Dillon, G. Marshall Townsend. |
Ieredith l. Samuel, Harry B. Smith,
Austin Ellison, Harry f. Schuler,
Daniel NJ. Tomlinson, Harry Mailman,
Lester Scotch, Benjamin H. Miller. /
ohm p Eckles, Joseph H. Davis, HOr- |
ce n Wilkinson, Walter G. Newton, |
William A. Russell, Fred P. Davidson, /
Henry Hazel, Dauphin d. Wharton, Il
avid NJ. Salter, James w. Cannon, II
ohm E. Kern, Jesse E. Mckay. John
. Lefevre, H. G. Parker, w. T. Turn
r Harry r. Speakman, J. c. Lawr- II
1n, j. c. Berger, S. F. Stewart, H. NJ. II
ones, P. C. Southard. A. S. Hirzel, II
ohm j. Lafferty, Clifford ]. SawdOn, II
r. A. Halprin, A. d. Warner, Jr., II
ames C. Hastings, s. B. Irwin Dun
IN, J. N. Robinson, Charles l. Weld
/, Clarence A. Short, Harry T. Bush, II
enry c. Ray, Charles r. Jefferis, Jr.,
obert D. Simmons, George J. Schulz, !
J. B. Van Solver, Fred L. Manion,
obert B. Kelton, P. A. Steinbach, W. p
. Baker and A. o. H. Grier lM
Nrr IN nFnNU ~