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Show BAKER IN FAVOR OF COMPULSORY ARAAYSERVIGE Gives Qualified Support to j House Military Committee Commit-tee to Plan Not Voluntary Volun-tary in Form. WAPfirN'OTON1, Tec. If. The agitation agita-tion for Home form of rompulsory military mili-tary fervi-'e in t ho I.'nite.-i fitntes re-rftivffl re-rftivffl qiiallfi'-fl support from Secretary Pakor today bofnr; the house military committee, encouriiKlu nppononts of the present volunteer system to predict lh.it leRlslntlnn for a changf nilh'ht be framed which would he sanctioned by Mr. Baker und posnlbly by 1'ieJsident Wilson him-Hftf. him-Hftf. The president hay said he would not attempt to reach a decision on the Bublect until a definilu plan was placed before him. Replying to a direct question as to his views on compulsory inllilnry service. Secretary Raker said: The obligation to serve the country coun-try 1h a universal one. The question of how to brlnff aliout preparation for national defense Is one of policy rather than theory. Whether unlver-Bfll unlver-Bfll military service or a seleMivo conscription is the correct answer, I do not know. The theory of a common com-mon interest in a common country would ho satisfied by a method of select se-lect Ins soldiers that was not voluntary volun-tary In character. Fair Trial for Guard. The secffitary tuhl the, committee, however, how-ever, that since congress had rejected the continental army plan in favor of the national guard system he believed the guard should ho Riven a fair trial. He Inclined to the view that reqlments returning from the border would be held together by the experience through which they had passed nml that officers and riit-n of l.f r: !:-':.' srt won Id bo inr-pired j l.v th.. kno'Al.- that th'-v bad -in-A . ro w..ri; t,,( ;:,v;ncr ::l-U-wy If-- did rm! iimi l:tv 1 1 :h .---..-.r;.,n ::i r.-:-anj to, -.li'M:..- '"jjL'-Mi'tji.n. l! Is known, ii'iw-f ii'iw-f .-i , I ; . :i i h.- : vm b'-.-'l fct -irj i rifc? lll's f i I -.-n.-f-al .-l.i rr !'. -r in'r.-rs'l K.-rvj.-e b-;;- ...iiii u:- .-,;-1 a : ! . It If ';;v!er-ni ';;v!er-ni t i j !- j 1 1 ii 1 1' i" i r ,;i - idir:i t f oil ' on - I r. -K.;. hi !.-s ftkni! of an : n V'-n t :"' o' n i-n lit i;.e r-u'iurv. as is hin done wit:1, lnd :-trial rour-vs, and vi-'i a n..-,ms ;:i-r.-nv I", i-rv r:z"-?i be ii ha:;- -m' a w.tr !n:-r:;.-n.'y for ti.'; di.LiTi''t-r of wuvk for v. he is best Ulln by Ins pt-,ic,;-ti:r!ij Li a in in?. Scott L'rge.s Legislation. Tn the n ar fnuir- Air. Linker will appear ap-pear before !!. serrire Mit-(;irnmlitee v bt-di i.i ii.-ai-iii' Tn "iiuons .f ;y;n'." fi n-'ia Is a lid or i Tr on t in? ( 'Maui Iihi lai n iinive' .-- tl t raini i; bill. Major ' b-neral Hn-h 1,. S'-nrc. rhi-f of mafl. was aain U lore the sun-commit tee luday, urging ii nr. : a I ;-.Tvi"i- ie-islat ion, arid Pn'runi t - r i n ti,e r . ! i o r t on nitj mobilization of' I he national ::n rd for bord er duly, com -pileI b , i 'oloiid W. C. H? own fi om all information uwuiUe at the war depart- iii. -n t.. Tl nurhision of i ho nTnl staff. CJeneral ,'ilt said, that tio adequate de-f.-ri-e could be biii!! ii) under tie present pres-ent volunteer pystem was t'tijlv substantiated substan-tiated I- v the re i 'ori s of depart menial commanders, inspector Instructors and others, included in CVlonel F.rown's compilation, com-pilation, and which disclosed vital and inb.er.Tit faults in the national cpianl system sys-tem wliich could nut bo passed over. Mexican Hardships. Colonel Hrown, who commanded the Tenth ca valrv under General Pc-rshin and l"d the detachment which dealt tiie ; most severe punishment to the Villa. bamiits. v.as before the committee him- j self and told of the hardships the troops) in Mexico encountered, of the forced marches and terrilic pace set, adding that: onlv thoroughly trained men and animals could have stood the strain. Senator T.ee of Maryland, who Is not a member of the committee, but who championed the cause of the national guard during debates on the national defense de-fense act, sought to cross-examine Colonel Colo-nel T.i own. bul was stopped by Chairman Chair-man Chamberlain. The mobilization report shows that of 1 2S,(tui) enlisted men of the militia inspect in-spect ed on the border, 81 .179, or 63 per cent, were either transferred from militia organizations not called out or were recruits, re-cruits, leaving only H7 Per cent of the force "representing the national guard or the organized militia element on the rolls of the organizations in question at the date of call." Of those who were on the rolls at the time of the. call, according to the report. 47. US" were lost for various causes during dur-ing the period of transition into the federal fed-eral service, making the national guard, as" It went to the border, substantially a volunteer force. Of the number lost 7258 failed to respond to the call at all, and 23,721 were rejected for physical Uisabil- Us to the training of the force before it ' reached the border, tiie report says, 611 per cent had had less than three months' military training of any kind and (30 "art had had none at all. Turning to the marksmanship of the state' troops, the report shows tnat 5,513 never had fired a military rffle and more than 14,000 others had received rating qf less than first class at the targets. Refer ring to the requirements of the new national defence act, the report says: "The very exactions and requirements which are necessary to the attainment of efficiency undoubtedly will tend to produce pro-duce a distaste for service in the national guard among the classes of young mon who have hitherto joined it for social reasons." An active campaign for militia recruits carried on all over the United States durinar a period of four months, July 10 to October 31, continues the report, produced pro-duced ahout 15,000, a number insufficient to fill vacancies caused by discharge and casualties occurring during the same period. pe-riod. Army Short 26,000 Men. General Scott said that, despite an almost al-most house-to-house canvass to get recruits, re-cruits, the regular army still is short about 26,000 men of the peace requirements require-ments under the new law. Senator Thomas asked if national defense de-fense was not regarded by most persons as an Impersonal question. "Yes," replied the general, "we'll 'let George do it.' " Secretary Baker was warm in his praise of the enlisted regulars and informed the house committee that he had approved a suggestion that their pay be raised to $25 a month. He was enthusiastic over the summer training camp plan. "I believe," he said, "that If the X'nited States were In a major emergency per cent of those who attended the Platts-burg Platts-burg encampment would enlist a-nd be of very great value to the government. They woiild beat the rest of us to it." Representative Anthony of Kansas, Republican, Re-publican, criticised the Mexican mobilization mobiliza-tion policy, declaring that inaction on the border was a sure way to destroy the national guard. Mr. J$aker said he wholly disagreed with that Idea and believed be-lieved the service had strengthened the guardsmen in personnel and fitness. |