OCR Text |
Show BORDER CAMPS III EXCELLENT ORDER GENERAL BLISS FINDS GUARDSMEN GUARDS-MEN WELL CARED FOR AND IN GOOD SPIRITS. Number of Guardsmen Who May be Sent Home Because of Dependent Relatives Will Not Materially Reduce Force on Border. El Paso, Texas. Inspection of the camp of the 25,000 national guardsmen guards-men on station here was begun Wednesday Wed-nesday by Maj. Gen. Tasker H. Bliss for the purpose of ascertaining the conditions under which the men are living. He paid particular attention to reports that some of the guardsmen guards-men are disgruntled with border duty and urged the organization command ers to place an liberal construction on the recent orders releasing guards men who have dependent relatives as the military exigencies permit. "The spirit of these national guardsmen guards-men all along the border is excellent," he asserted. 'While it is hot and dusty dus-ty sometimes, exaggerated reports have been spread concerning theii provisions, which in reality are negll gible," General Bliss added that the num ber of guardsmen -who could be sent home, under the orders, would still leave an ample number of men undei arms in the United States to cope with any possible emergency. In reply to a complaint from Mrs Henry Smith of Winamac, Ind., whe has a son in the national guard, President Pres-ident Wilson wrote on Wednesday that the guard was being kept on the Mexican border to protect the coun try, not for drill, and that the ser vice men were performing was an honor to them and a necessity to the United States. |