The Militia Act of 1903 (), also known as the Efficiency in Militia Act of 1903 or the Dick Act, was legislation enacted by the United States Congress to create what would become the modern National Guard from a subset of the militia, and codify the circumstances under which the Guard could be federalized. It also provided federal funds to pay for equipment and training, including annual summer encampments. The new National Guard was to organize units of similar form and quality to those of the regular Army, and intended to achieve the same training, education, and readiness requirements as active duty units.Barry M. Stentiford, The American Home Guard: The State Militia in the Twentieth Century, 2002, page 12
Prior history
During the 19th century, the militia in each U.S. state and territory operated under the Militia Acts of 1792, which was extended by the Militia Act of 1795. The 1792 and 1795 acts left the question of state versus federal control of the militia unresolved. In consequence, the federal government could not consistently rely on the militias for national defense. For example, during the War of 1812, members of the New York militia refused to take part in operations against the British in Canada, arguing that their only responsibility was to defend their home state.Jesse Greenspan, History.com, How U.S. Forces Failed to Conquer Canada 200 Years Ago, July 12, 2012 On another occasion, the Governor of Vermont unsuccessfully attempted to recall his state's militia from the defense of Plattsburgh, claiming that it was illegal for them to operate outside of Vermont.Spencer C. Tucker, The Encyclopedia Of the War Of 1812 (2012), page 132
As a result, starting in 1812, the federal government would create "volunteer" units when it needed to expand the size of the regular Army. These volunteer units were not militia (though often they would consist of individual militia members or whole militia units which had volunteered en masse), nor were they part of the regular Army. This solution was also employed during the Mexican–American War (1846–1848),Public Broadcasting System, A Call to Arms: The American Army in the Mexican War: An Overview, A Conversation With Richard Bruce Winders, Historian and Curator, The Alamo, March 14, 2006 and in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865).Robert K. Krick, Gary W. Gallagher, The American Civil War: The War in the East, 1863-1865 (2001), page 7
During the Spanish–American War (1898) some volunteer units were organized, most notably the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, nicknamed "Rough Riders."U.S. Army Center of Military History, Spanish–American War: Volunteer Forces , 1899Texas State Historical Association, Handbook of Texas Online, First United States Volunteer Cavalry, accessed July 3, 2013 The federal government also mobilized several National Guard units which volunteered en masse under the provisions of the volunteer law, and were accepted as volunteer units.Spanish–American War Centennial Website, Unit Profiles, Rosters, and Photos, accessed July 3, 2013New York Times, The Volunteer Army Call: Further Instructions Issued to the Governors of States by the War Department; MODE OF ENLISTMENT GIVEN System for the Enrollment of the National Guard Organizations Much Simpler Than Had Been Supposed; Replies of the Governors, April 27, 1898
Root reforms and Dick Act
Several problems were identified with the National Guard during the Spanish–American War, such as units suffering from low levels of training and readiness and a lack of standardization in organizational structure, uniforms, equipment, leader qualifications and professional development.U.S. War Department, Spanish American War, 1898, Government Documents, 1899, pages 94–95Connecticut Adjutant General, Annual Report, 1899, page xxivNew York Times, The National Guard, January 1, 1897 The Secretary of War Elihu Root and other military leaders took steps to reform the Army, including the National Guard. Root's allies included Charles Dick, Congressman (later Senator) from Ohio and Chairman of the House Militia Affairs Committee, who also served as president of the National Guard Association of the United States.Davenport Weekly Republican, Meeting of National Guard, January 28, 1904 Dick was a veteran of the Spanish–American War and a longtime National Guard member who attained the rank of major general as commander of the Ohio National Guard.Ohio General Assembly, Manual of Legislative Practice in the General Assembly of Ohio, 1912, page 199Michael Dale Doubler, John W. Listman, Jr., The National Guard: An Illustrated History of America's Citizen-Soldiers, 2007, page 54
Dick championed the Militia Act of 1903, which became known as the Dick Act. The 1903 act repealed the Militia Acts of 1795 and designated the militia (per Title 10 of the U.S. Code, Section 311) as two classes: the Reserve Militia, which included all able-bodied men between ages 17 and 45, and the Organized Militia, comprising state militia (National Guard) units receiving federal support.New York Times, For "A Well Regulated Militia", January 30, 1902Spokane Daily Chronicle, Secretary Root Interprets Dick Law, May 15, 1903Dubuque Telegraph-Herald, Bill Becomes Law: New Law Makes Militia Part of Federal Military Force, January 16, 1903United States Government Printing Office, Federal Statutes Annotated, Volume 6, 1918, page 433
The Dick Act included $2 million () for National Guard units to modernize equipment, and permitted states to use federal funds to pay for National Guard summer training encampments. The National Guard in each state was also required to carry out a uniform schedule of weekend or weeknight drills and annual summer training camps. In addition, the War Department agreed to fund the attendance of Guard officers at Army schools, and active Army officers would serve as inspectors and instructors of National Guard units. The War Department also agreed to organize joint Regular Army-National Guard exercises and training encampments.Jerry M. Cooper, Citizens As Soldiers: A History Of The North Dakota National Guard, 2005, page 118
In return, the federal government gained greater control over the National Guard. The President of the United States was empowered to call up the National Guard for up to nine months to repel invasion, suppress rebellion, or enforce federal laws. Guardsmen had to answer a presidential call or face court-martial. States had to organize, equip, and train their units in accordance with the policies and procedures of the Regular Army. If Guard units failed to meet Army standards, they would lose federal recognition and federal funding.James A. Drain, Pearson's Magazine, "Getting Ready for Our Next War", April, 1909, page 408
The Dick Act helped resolve the issue of when the United States government could mobilize the National Guard, but federal authorities were not permitted to order the National Guard to service outside the United States.Derek Avery, Mark Lloyd, History of the United States Fighting Forces, 1989, page 74
Amendments
The Dick Act was amended several times. The Militia Act of 1908 removed the nine-month limit on federal service, giving the President the authority to set the length of federal service.Republican National Committee, Republican Campaign Text-Book, 1908, page 359 The ban on National Guard units serving outside the United States was also dropped, though subsequently the United States Attorney General offered his opinion that ordering the National Guard to serve outside the United States was unconstitutional.New York Times, The Army-Militia Plan, January 16, 1914 In addition, the 1908 law stated that during a mobilization the National Guard had to be federalized before the Army could organize volunteer units.Edward Marshall, New York Times, Making Our Army More Efficient and Always Ready, March 5, 1911 The 1908 law also included the creation of the Division of Militia Affairs as the Army agency responsible for overseeing federal training and administrative requirements for the National Guard.Atlanta Constitution, , December 15, 1907Pittsburgh Press, Discuss Dick Law, July 21, 1907Providence News-Democrat, Wants Militia Ready for Instant Service, January 15, 1908Charleston News and Courier, Will Not Quit State Militia, October 28, 1907Dubuque Telegraph-Herald, General for I.N.G. Is Not Necessary, November 10, 1907
The National Defense Act of 1916, as part of the mobilization prior to U.S. entry into World War I, increased the number of required drill periods from 24 to 48 and the length of summer training camps from five days to 15.New York Times, Congress Studies the Militia Bill, February 13, 1916 The War Department was authorized to centrally plan for the National Guard's authorized strength, and the number and types of National Guard units in each state,Michael D. Doubler, The National Guard and Reserve: A Reference Handbook, 2008, pages 173-176 and empowered it to implement uniform enlistment contracts and officer commissioning requirements for the National Guard. Guardsmen were required to take both state and federal enlistment oaths or oaths of office.New York Times, Old Guardsmen Falter at Oath, June 27, 1916 The law replaced the federal subsidy with an annual budget to cover most Guard expenses, including drill pay. The Division of Militia Affairs was expanded to form the Militia Bureau (now National Guard Bureau).New York Times, Says Pay for Guard Adds to Efficiency, May 28, 1916United States War Department, Annual Report of the Secretary of War, Volume 1, 1916, page 191 The 1916 law resolved the issues of deploying National Guardsmen overseas by stipulating that they would be discharged as members of the militia and then drafted into federal service, thus removing the National Guard from its status as the militia of the states when operating under federal authority.New York Times, Wilson to Draft Guard, July 10, 1917 This provision was employed to call up the National Guard during the Pancho Villa Expedition,Montreal Daily Mail, U.S. Troops Called for Service on Mexican Border, June 19, 1916 and again during World War I.Christian Science Monitor, , August 6, 1917
Other amendments were the National Defense Act of 1920, and the National Defense Act Amendments of 1933. The 1933 Act amended the National Defense Act of 1916 to create a separate reserve component of the United States Army called the National Guard of the United States. Since then, all National Guardsmen have been members of both their State National Guard and the National Guard of the United States.New Jersey Adjutant General, Annual Report, 1933, pages 2-25
Implementation
The improvements to National Guard training and readiness and the resolution of the circumstances under which the National Guard could be federalized led to the call up of National Guard units for service on the Mexico–United States border during the Pancho Villa Expedition.Boston Globe, , August 8, 1916New York Times, Militia Question, February 7, 1916National Guard Bureau, Report on Mobilization of the Organized Militia and National Guard, 1916, page 4
In addition, National Guard units were federalized and deployed overseas during World War I.National Guard Educational Foundation, Brief History of Army National Guard Mobilizations , accessed July 3, 2013
The improvements to the Army–National Guard relationship, the improvements to National Guard training and readiness, and the National Guard's successful service during the Villa Expedition and the First World War brought about by the Dick Act and subsequent amendments enabled John McAuley Palmer and other National Guard advocates to defeat a 1920 effort to completely replace the National Guard with a federal-only reserve force.Russell Frank Weigley, The American Way of War, 1977, pages 221–222
In fiction