Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 161, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 July 1916 — MEN WITH DEPENDENTS WILL GET DISCHARGES [ARTICLE]

MEN WITH DEPENDENTS WILL GET DISCHARGES

Wilson Order Will Change Force On Mexican Border—Must Ask Freedom. Washington, D. C., July 6.—Presiwent Wilson took two definite steps today to forestall criticism of the retention of the militia on the border doing the patrol duty of regular troops. The movement in congress for the recall of the guardsmen and the substitution therefor of regulars, resulted in the following action: Secretary of War Baker instructed all army department commanders to discharge from further service all national guardsmen having dependent families. Subsequently the war department called out the regular army reserves, consisting of between 4,000 and 5,000 former regular's, to fill the gaps in the new regiments created by the recently enacted army law. _ The first order applies to guardsmen who have reached the border and also to those who are on the way there' Or in the state mobilization camps preparing for departure. Under the terms of the instructions any national guardsman, wherever .he may be, may obtain immediate release and return to his family and his occupation by making application through his commanding officer to the army department commander, showing that he has a family dependent upon him for support. At the war department tonight it was stated that transportation will be furnished at once for nationa 1 guardsmen who obtain their discharges on the border. If the number of men discharged warrants, special trains will be chartered to carry them back home. ~ • • The war department officials said they flo not expect a large - number of guardsmen now on the border to take advantage of the order immediately, it being asumed that many of those having dependent families will elect to remain at least a month for the training they will receive. It is believed however, that a large number of those guardsmen still in the state mobilization camps will obtain discharge, in view of the uncertainty of the remaining units called out being dispatched to the border at all. The war department states, however, that notwithstanding the discharge of men in the state mobilization camps, the remaining guardsmen will be dispatched to the border as originally intended. For example, an order went forth to the Central department today to entrain all she Indiana troops not later than next Monday.