Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 198, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 August 1916 — HOW THE WILSON ADMINISTRATION HAS PENALIZED PATRIOTISM. [ARTICLE]

HOW THE WILSON ADMINISTRATION HAS PENALIZED PATRIOTISM.

“Having in vtew the pOMUffity «C further aggression upon the territory of the United States from Mexico and the necessity for the proper pffeecdon of that frontier,** President Wilson <m June 18 called out the mobile arms of the national guard for federal service. He did not call them out at their existing peace strength, but at war strength, which Is practically doable. Lacking a system of reserves, the national guard organisations immediately had to start a campaign of recruiting to bring about the desired Increnee In their numbers. Patriotic young citizens under thq urge of the cry, “Your country needs you I” volunteered for service in gratifying numbers. According to Senator Chamberlain, chairman of the senate committee on military affairs, the result Is that about 185,000 citizen soldiers have been mustered Into the federal service and are now on the Mexican border or In camp In their borne states. There may be more, but the administration refuses to make known the exact figures. The movement is costing the public treasury many millions of dollars; It Is costing the individual citizen soldiers many millions more. They went to the front believing the cry, "Your country needs you,” for war service. They sacrificed advancement In their civil occupations, severed home ties, suffered In thousands of instances great financial loss. The less patriotic, who did not believe the cry or, believing, declined to make sacrifices, fatten at home on these losses. The real purposes of the can are slowly developing. They are two In number: First—A patrol of the border to, do the work which President Wilson’s friend, Carranza, finds ttftnpoasible to do. Because the recogntesft government in Mexico Is too ineffective to keep Ita own citizens in check and prevent them murdering Americans on American soil the American government undertake* the costly task of doing that work for them. The murder of American citizens on Mexican soil is another matter. Carranza may go as far as he likes In that direction.

Second.—A purpose of the mobilization on the bordftrand In the -camps Is to train citizens to perform effective military-service. The regular military 'establishment of the nation,ls manifestly too small for the actual military needs. To this , extent the cry, "Your country needs you,” was correct But these facts were not made clear when the call was issued. The idea was promulgated that men were needed for actual war service, not for military training. Deceit was practiced. Opposing In the open legislation for universal military service, the administration by Its acts has established what In essence is a system of compulsory military service. It is a system all the more vicious because It operates only against the patriotic, whereas a legalized universal training system equalizes the burden of military service among all men and all classes of men.

When in 1914 Europe plunged ■ into the greatest war of all history and conditions In Mexico grew Intolerable intelligent men realized the fact that it was Incumbent on this nation to build up Its tinjj regular.army and put Its other military resources In condition for use. National safety demanded this.' And yet In December of that year, four months after the European war began, President Wilson went before congress and declared that all agitation for military preparedness was hysterical; that we were adequately prepared. / After awhile the administration changed its mind and professed to believe In the necessity for preparedness. First came an enactment to Increase the regular army by 20,000. But the body of the country, and even all parts of the Democratic administration, could not change front so quickly as the head. Recruiting for the regular army lagged. Not yet have the 20,000 been secured. The need pressed. A new national defense act, providing for still more men in the regular army, was enacted. But still the men were not forthcoming. Suddenly and without warning the administration issued its call for mobilization of the citizen soldiers. It seemed still obsessed with the Bryan notion that an army could be created by presidential ukase.

1 When the call went out the government did not own enough uniforms, shoes, socks, blankets, hats, wagons, trucks, horses, mules and other things essential to equip the men called. It had made no provision tor transporting the troops called to the points where they were required. Who suffered most by this amazing lack of foresight, this leaping before looking? Only the 135,000 patriots who believed that their country needed them for national defense; only the men who are making the great sacrifices. The whole disgraceful story may be summed up In the phrase, the administration has penalized patriotism. True, it Is accumulating by subterfuge a reserve of trained soldiers, but events have demonstrated that it cried “wolf" when there was no wolf. Should it be forced to cry “wolf” again, when the wolf Is at the door, what will he the result? _