Jasper County Democrat, Volume 19, Number 104, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 March 1917 — EASTERN GUARD IS GALLED OUT [ARTICLE]

EASTERN GUARD IS GALLED OUT

President Acts to Put Nation On War Basis. TWO NEW ZONES CREATED ;■ ' '■ # • /■ • Task of Organizing the Army Will Bo Divided Among Six Department Heads Instead of Four. * . -i WashingtoU, D. C,, Marc£ 26.—• President Wilson took steps yesterday to place the nation on a war footing. By executive order he directed that the navy be recruited without delay to full authorized war strength of 87,000 men. Taken in connection with emergency naval construction already ordered, this means that the President had exercised the full limit of his legal powers as commander-in-chief to prepare the navy for war* For the army, the President directed that two new military departments be created in the Atlantic coast region. The order means that the task of organizing whatever arujy ' congress may authorize will, be divided among six department commanders instead of four, in the interests of speed and efficiency in mobilization. The third step was to assume as a national duty the task of protecting American Industries . from domestic disorders in the event of hostilities, por this purpose eleven full infantry regiments, two ’separate regiments, two separate battalions and one separate company of national guard were called back into the federal service to act as national police in important districts. >

Supplementing these, troops a regiment of Pennsylvania guard and two companies of Georgia infantry, enroute home from the border for muster out, were ordered retained in the federal service. The President’s orders were made known in terse official statements issued by the state department. No explanations accompanied them except the statement •hat reorganization of the military department, effective May 11, was designed to facilitate decentralization of command. The navy must enroll immediately approximately 26,000 men to reach the required strength. Secretary Daniels supplemented a statement from the President with personal telegrams to newspaper editors all over the country, urging them to aid the department in every way in their power to obtain the men. The following organizations of the national guard have been called out: Massachusetts, Second and Ninth regiments: Pennsylvania, First and Third regiments; Maryland, Fourth regiment; District of Columbia, First separate battalion; Virginia, Second regiment; Vermont, Company B, First regiment; Connecticut, First ragiment; New York, Second and Seventy-first regiments; New Jersey, First and Fifth regiments; Delaware, First battalion, First regiment. The following organizations

winch are now in the federal service will not be' mustered out: Thirteenth Pennsylvania, A and B companies of the First Georgia. The object of the creation of the new departments of the northeast and southeast was to distribute among three central commanders the work of mobilizing in the states most thickly populated from which the greatest number of soldiers must come. The present Eastern department directed the mobilization of approximately 80 per cent of the 150,000 guardsmen sent to the border. With 400,000 men, the maximum authorized strength of the national guard called out, in addition to whatever volunteers might be summoned, the task would be too great for a single departmental organization because of the vastness of the supply problems involved. Instructions to national guard officers issued more than a month ago to cover any future mobilization, showed plainly that the war department has learned its lesson and proposed to decentralize its mobilization problems as far as possible. Departmental commanders completely will supervise the assembling of state troops in their districts, hereafter, and will take over immediately on. the Call for federal service the task of recruiting for the guard regiments through organization of reserve battalions. At the navy department it was learned that congress also would be requested to authorize an increase beyond the 87,000 war strength limit for enlisted personnel now set. The organization of great fleets of submarine chasers will make necessary the enlistment of many thousand more men than planned for when the present act was framed. Every fighting ship now in the service or seon to be completed could be manned with the 87,000 sailors, but there would not be sufficient margin to allow for the many auxiliaries as well. The order to recruit to war strength was signed by President Wilson when he and Mrs. Wilson called at Secretary Daniels’ office. It was not- made public, however, until details for carrying it into effect had been arranged. The recruiting service has been running recently with redoubled' energy and accomplishing good re/ults. Under the new order, however, emergency funds Will be employed to again redouble efforts to enroll suitable men. Congress will be asked, it is understood, to expedite espionage legislation to facilitate the work of guarding the numerous arsenals and military supply factories.