Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 291, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 December 1916 — MILITIA SYSTEM FAILURE SAYS WAR HEAD [ARTICLE]

MILITIA SYSTEM FAILURE SAYS WAR HEAD

War Department Report Shows That Guard Does Not Meet Requirements On Border. In a special report to Secretary Baker which has not been made public, the militia bureau of the war department exposes the weaknesses of the Hay national/guard system, basing its conclusions on the lessons drawn from the mobilization of the guard on the border. Army officers hope as a result of the report the administration will abandon the Hay system in favor of some thoroughly federal plan. The report, according to reliable information, recited that the mobilization on the border, considering the important place held by the national guard in the country’s defense system could only be callde a failure. Recruiting fell below the lowest estimates from the outset, declining rapidly to a point wnere the army was obliged to close the militia, recruiting stations in most states because the number of men obtained did not warrant the cots. The Hay act contemplated increasing the guard to 440,000 men by five annual units of more than 60,000 each. On this schedule the number on June 30, next, shoilld approximate 200,000 but would be actually from 50,000 to 60.000 less. , Reports to the militia bureau show that the guardsmen on the border, while performing their duty loyally and well, feel a deep sense of injustice at being drafted for extensive military operation in time of peace—work that should be done by the regular army—and that they will return to their home states discouraged and determined to leave the service in great numbers; Added to this is the growing dissatisfaction among employers who have been holding positions open for guardsmen and in many cases paying their salaries while they are in the federal service;