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Show GUARDSMEN TO STAY ON BORDER ! FOR SOME TIME Secretary Baker Replies to Letters Complaining That State Troops are Being Held Unnecessarily. Peace Now Reigns on Boundary Line. Militia Winning "Bloodless Victories" Victor-ies" Every Day. According to View of War Department Chief. Washington, D. C. The national guard will be retained on the Mexi can border 'Until it can be withdrawn again without endangering American lives and property. Secretary Baker so declared the administration's policy pol-icy today iu answering a score of let-iers let-iers from many parts of the country complaining that the state troops were being held in service after the emergency for which they were called call-ed out apparently had passed. In general, the complainants, whose names were withheld, alleged that border service was entailing loss financially on militiamen and hardship hard-ship on their families. The secretary replied to all those seeming to merit attention. By its presence on the, border, he wrote in reply, to one. the guard is "winning bloddless victories vic-tories daily." He declared that American residents along the international inter-national line were enjoying a peace and security that could not continue without the military forces to protect pro-tect them. Emergency Still Exists The department appreciates. Mr. Baker said in another letter, the fact that a call for military service upon militia organizations must "inevitably "inevita-bly present cases of harship." He added : "The emergency, however, which required this call for the militia was one of a grave character, effecting the safety and lives of citizens of the United States men. women and children. The presence of the militia mili-tia on the Mexican border has restored restor-ed order and given a higher degree of safety and security to the lives of our people m tnat trouDled country ;han they have for a long time had. The militia is, therefore, performing a valuable service: and the fact th?t this service is being performed without with-out active military operations, entailing entail-ing loss of lite to our soldiers, is a cause of congratulation and happiness." happi-ness." Training of Guardsmen Referring to the elaborate and extensive ex-tensive training the militiamen are eceiving under supervision of regular regu-lar army officers, the secretary ex-Dressed ex-Dressed the opinion that it would fit them to action in time of war or ether emergency as a supporting arm or second line for the regular army, furnishing an asset to national preparedness pre-paredness that could not have been obtained otherwise. "Clearly, so soon as a restored stat.- of order on the border justifies t. these troops will be returned to tht-ir homes." he wrote. In the meantime, mean-time, it is not possible for the department depart-ment to say how soon such a situation situa-tion will arise, although the Mexican situation is one of increasing hopefulness. hope-fulness. In another letter he called attention atten-tion to steps taken to relieve guards-nen guards-nen where thc-re is unusual hardship hard-ship resulting from their being called ;nto service. "I am filled with admiration for 'he spirit with which the militia has net this call." the secretary said, "and with which they are performing in important and necessary service to their country." To another correspondent, the sec--etary explained that the national euard was maintained for just such exigencies as that which now exists in the border, and that it had cost 'he novcrnmcnt many millions to p-o-pare and keep it ready for such emergencies. emer-gencies. He pointed out that national nation-al guardsmen were fully aware of the duties they undertook when they enlisted. en-listed. All of the letters emphasize the scientific and highly successful mri'v nrr in which the mobilization of tin national guard had been handled by srniy officers. As evidence of this, attention was directed to the low pick rate and to the adequate measures aken to insure proper sanitary mn-1 mn-1 it ions, and provide ample and varied food supplies. Tribune. |