Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1923-03-07
National, State and City
Officials Make Speeches
At Dinner
WILL BACK COMPANY
Necessity For Company
at Alexandria is Told
Capt. Robert Thomas
PreSideS

National state and loca ofh-
cials last night made addresses
at the informal dinner given b.
Capt. Robert Thomas in the audi
torium of the chamber O. con,-
merce in the interest of ne re-
organization of the old : aXan-
dria Light Infantry. All 2t The
speakers urged the necessity j.,
a military company here and each
pledged their support to Capt
Thomas in helping in the work.
Capt. Thomas acted as toastmast-
er. During the evening speeches
were made by Col. f. j. VIII
liams. chief executive officer of the
military bureau; Col. George F.
Baltzell, chief of the training sec
ton of the militia bureau: Maj.
Robert T. Barton, Winchester,
Va, major Of the ll6th Infantry,
Virginia National Guard; Coun-
Gilman Edmund F. Ticef, Capt
George II. Evans a Claude ~.
Fletcher.
During the evenii vocal solos
were given by N.ss Luy 81.
Graves and Freder k Pettit b,
Attending the a. rcr
number of prospec mon
and in addition nl~a.t 81
mer members Of th o.d Alf
dria Light Infantry. =
Capt. Thomas in BIS oat'
remarks said the ,iea
now presents itself a.eEm
was the one propou a-c t1
II by Col. Davis recent Who
here to inspect the mpary
that was. Does AleH ndr'a y
National Guard Co ny?
speaker said ne thor the
wants national gu; ana
ed that it needs one. NN91i
months ago, he saic oe
interested in this imi ary
pany and he found y
was not in existence y
ten or twelve men al -ra
drills and he recited l
he found, and told
! it was his determine O.
rid of the present CO -a%
organize a new one. 7 sioea
those present he saio aou
Lets have compa
The first speaker ve- 60
il. Williams, chief ex ,,e or7-
Ger Of the militia bwe te
said if the worlds wa he'd Hc'
convinced the people a. -ae
country needs some r. '9ra t-
fense it would be usele
to talk on the subject. Ionunu-
ing he said: "Now we have a
basic law under which the ma
tional defense is formed. The
regular soldier costs something
like $4,000 a year per man to the
government and the country can
not afford to have all professional
soldiers.
Five hundred thousand men
would mean a billion dollars "A
year. The taxpayers could not
stand it. The national guard
costs about $500 n year per man.
The regular army has been re-
duced to minimum So it cam
not form a bulwark against the
enemy
"The national guard is in a
position today it has never been
before. II is in position Of
vantage. 1t means that the ns-
tional guard must be ready to
move out on the day called for the
purpose of fighting. The ma
tional guard is today on trial.
Every plan made by the War
Department today is that the
national guard is going to Oc-
cupy the first line"
The speaker said that though
native Of Georgia he was sorry
to say that the national guard
= in the south was not in point or
number as great as that north
of the Mason and Dixon lfne.
= However, he said he felt confident
, that Alexandria would raise a
company.
= Col. Baltzell told Of his expert
ences ten years ago when he was
$ detailed to duty in Virginia to
e inspect the national guard. and
l of having inspected the Alexan-
!. Continued on page five)