Portland gazette and Maine advertiser. (Portland, Me.) 1805-1818, 1813-01-04

by law TO become rs meniceal ietvant, and
unlike the civil officer he performs pup
| lie iervice without emoument ana yet
without any exelufVs priVi'edSe. nc
principle only is contzn ded for, not that
the fefv,ces of folder ihould be placed
| in connection with thoit high IN civil OIL
fees bur that his comparative ier"ces'
| Tor you pleaie EaerjfteJ) ihould be con.
lidered. This is not merely the opinion
of an individual /: it is fupported by many,
perhaps mott of the gentlemen who hold
thefe Offices. They do not hstaie to lay
that "the prtlent laws, governing the
militia, are unequal and OtpreBiVe and ought
| TO be reviied and altered The ma1drY
ihauld always be held "in exact fubot'
dinatinn To the civil authority )" but 1t
ihould never be GRIZZLY impoled upon.
To our pnrpofe we Gao quote from the
highell of all military authorities IN tins
country (Waihineton) who fpeaking OF the
militia as futabIe defence for the peace
eftablllhment, fays-thai " rewards in pro.
portion to the aids The public derives tom
them, are unqueltionably due To all us
fervan,s" 1t will readily be admitted that
the public at prefent, receive little other
aid from the militia than a !how of de-
fence :" and we are reluctantly obliged
10 acknowledge that under its prelem
cramped condition IL is little better than
" dumb lhnw." However, bad as il IS,
the fault does not belong TO thoie who
compofe the militia. 1t IS not fuch mi
li,ia as Wilmington had in his view to
form the bulwark of a free tate" The
only d ference is between qVblt II is and
qubat might be if the patronage OF gov
eminent were ex'ended towards 1t.
Should the legislature make a grant of
100000 dollars per AMMAN 10 the militia
OF he fate TO be paid out of the Treaiuly,
it fhould be conidered that part of this
tax, THAT is on polls and in proportion to
property pnlreTrd) will be PAID by the
verv men who perform military duty
The officers neither ask pay, or an exemp-
ton from their due proportion at tax. In
this they have unaffected zeal Tor the
welfare of the militia pdtriotiim and
generohty which is highly honorable TO
them as officers and as men. The Ian.
gu4ge of their petition almIts of this very
| liberal contribution I've ask patronage
of the legllature, not for oudelveo, but
| for our mtn-we are not only wiling TO
pay our due proportion of any tax which
the legiflIure may deem neceliary to I'M
| poie 10 ani~er the aim of our petition,but
We will devote more time and expend
more money than we have done hereto
| fore. We a'e proud to wear the livery OF
the Rate but We with our men ALTO ena
| blsd TO put It OF"
No one in our country ever took 10
warm and active an interet Ia the advance
meat of the militia, as did Gtneral Walh
ington. As an adequate Judge OF every
| thing which related 10 them, none can
| pretend to itand, his rivai--his opinions,
therefore, will be quoted as the IL onset
evidence of their indifpendble utility and
as a corcluiive proof that the State YER
cgn.ies have departed from or rather nev-
| or Following MS advice. 1 hrs is ieriuuny
to be regretted but II IS not too late 10
remedy the evil & correct patt errors. The
importance OF a well regulated and diici.
plIntd militia in ths United States, as part
ofa peace efabli(hment, was everupperm 4
IN his mind when weighing the great con.
Germs of The nation.
Previous TO rehgning his authority as
comm er in chief, be addreftd a letter
10 the governors of the fevrral ftates ref.
peetively, in which the adoption of pro.
per peace enabliIhment is urged as fol-
lows -
+" II Is neceGary to fay but few words
on this topic, which regards particularly
the defence of the republic, as there can be
| hnf La lie lAul,f hnf r,
mend proper peace ehabllhment for the
United States. in WHICH a due attention
will be pad to the importance of placing
the militia Of the union upon regular and
respectable footing. If this ihouli be the
ciie, | would beg leave To urge the great
advantage of u IN the itrongea terms
The militia of this country mu1 be couli1
cred as the palladium of our fecurity, and
the firt efft ttual reflrt in cafe of nobility.
IL Is tiientla therefore, that the fme fyf-
TEN lhould pervade the whole that the
formation and diiciplme of the militia Of
the continent Mould be absolutely uniform
and that tie fame fpecies of arms, accou.
IementS, and military apparatus, ihnuld
be introduced in every part of the United
States. No one who has not learned il
from experience, can conceive the Difficult.
~, expenfe and confufion, which reiult
from contrary fyhem or the vague ar.
Engagements and contuhon, which have
hitherto prevailed"
Notwithstanding the bunhsus aud difh
enlties encountered by the militia, many
corps among them have fnrmounied al
obttaoies,dnd ny individual exertion and
enterprise and at an immenfe facriice of
time aud money, have in the moA encn.
tial points OF diicipline, equipments and
dreis, rendered themielveS inferior to no
militia whatever, and almoa equal To regu.