Evening star., 1926-05-30


made public at headquarters. having
a percentage Of 92.31. The other or
ganizations. in their relative standing
and percentages, follow: Battery A,
260th Coast Artillery, 66.67: band,
121st Engineers, 65.75; Company A,
372d Infantry. 1894; Company e.
121st Engineers. 5s.6S; Battery B.
260th Coast Artillery. $3.50: Head
quarters and Service Company, 121st
Engineers, 64.06; Company c, 121st
Engineers. 1857; 29th Military Police
Company, 44.00: Company b, 121st
Engineers, 41.67; Company f, 121st
Engineers, 40sSS; Company A, 121st
Engineers, 1000; Medical Detachment,
J 121st Engineers, 1000, end Company
d. 12lst Engineers. 36.o7.
Request has been made by Gen.
| Stephan that a non-commissioned OH
Ger of the regular Infantry be detailed
to duty as sergeant instructor with the
| local Guard to take the place of Car
Irington Horan, discharged. He pointed
out that the services Of an Infantry
sergeant are urgently needed for Com.
pany A, 372d Infantry and 18th Di.
vision Headquarters Units, now or
| ganized or being organized. The re.
quest Is further made that If the pres.
| ent allotments do not permit the
| that the matter be submitted to the
| Militia Bureau Of the War Depart
| ment with the recommendation that
the allotment be increased.
Efforts of the Militia Division Of
the War Department to have division
sta6s OF the National Guard made up
OF component parts Of the Guard OF
several States is indicated in a let.
ter received at Guard headquarters
here. Maj. Gen. Stephan was the
first to put this training into effect.
having trained in the field for four
| years. and four times year the staff
Is called together either In this city,
IN Richmond. Va. or Baltimore. Nd.
FOR the purpose of considering division
matters, and also for the purpose of
working out divisional war games.
The results. according to the Militia
bureaus letters, are clearly indicated
IN the degree OF readiness of these
headquarters to function in tactical
command Of their organizations.
Evidences Of a split between Ma.
tionaI Guard ofncers detailed for DUTY
with the Army General Staff here to
represent the National Guard Of the
country in shaping military defense
matters on the one hand and National
Guard officers in the Militia Bureau Of
the War Department and influential
Guard officers throughout the country
on the other, on q matter Of certain
policies Is indicated in Guard circles
here: 1t has given rise again to the
OFT brought up suggestion that the
Nationa! Guard should be entirely di.
vorced from the Regular Army.
| The latest split developed. it was
learned, over a resolution passed by
the National Guard Association Of the
United states at its recent convention.
which recommended that action be
taken to reduce the percentage Of at
tendance OF enlisted men required at
armory drills and camps in order to
enutle the commissioned officers Of an
organization to receive pay be made
from so per cent required by present
regulations to so per cent. When the
matter was taken UP with the Militia
Bureau it was found that the officers
in authority there were in favor of it,
and so recommended to the War De-
partment.
1t has Just been disclosed that the
General Staff has turned down the
recommendation, and in connection
with this 1t was learned from authori-
| tative sources that IL was rejected
purely on the basis of opinions Of the
National Guard officers Of the General
Staff. who said to lower the required
percentage from 60 to so per cent
would be very injurious to the train
ing and. efficiency Of the Guard. The
reported action Of the General Staff
Guard officers, 1t was learned, has de-
veloped considerable criticism, and the
matter will be thoroughly threshed out
at the next convention, at the last one
OF which 1t was generally conceded
that such a change as this would be
decidedly helpful to the Guard. It is
contended that this action Of the
Guard officers on the General Staf
does not represent the opinion Of the
Guard as a whole in this respect.
| While it is conceded that these officers
must exercise their individual judg.
ment in performing their Official advis.
ory functions, nevertheless, 1t was add.
ed that it must be remembered that the
provision Of the National Defense act
authorizing National Guard officers to
be detailed to duty in the General
Staff was enacted at the request Of the
National Guard in order that there
might be in the General Staff officers
from the Guard who could represent
the latter's viewpoint, and who would
be able to advise the officers Of the
Regular Army with whom thew were
in contact as to what National Guard
opinion might be. AS a matter Of
fact. it was pointed out. in the matter
| OF the recommendation under consid-
Grafton. the resolution Of the associa.
| ton was the real viewpoint Of the
Guard and should have been taken
| into consideration by the General
Staff.
This has given rise to the sugges.
| ton that the interests of the Guard
| would be best served by taking it's
n nIN SNf hA
Regular Army. AS to how this can
be done, 1t was further suggested that
! the Militia Bureau might have re-
stored to It all the administrative
functions, which now rest with the
corps area commanders and also by
taking the National Guard officers Off
of the General Staff and placing them
on duty in the Militia Bureau.
It was pointed out further that the
National Guard is not part of the
Army OF the United States until called
! parently no reason why it should
function as such. 1t is contended
further that this was the original idea
in Congress. when the Militia. Bureau
was established. It was asserted, fur.
ther, that the State forces should be
trained in such manner and Organized
in such u way that when called into
F'ederal service they will At into the
corps and divisional machinery, but in
. peace time. the path Of tho Guard is
to be beset with difficulties. 1t is con-
tended. X the administrative functions
must be carried on through 50 many
Army agencies.
Efforts are being made by local
Guard officers to obtain for Pvt. Fran
els Z. Smith, Company +, 121st Enei.
neers. reimbursement OF expenses in.
CURED in obtaining medical attention
for illness which developed while the
troops were in Federal service during