Delaware journal., 1828-02-12
ANOTHER CHARGE REFUTED.

The charge about Major Wiltbank's commission
being given to him to answer political purposes,
having been blown sky high, yes-sky hgh,sh
the Governor is accused Of Inconsistency in appoint
ing Major Naudain last Spring. So they go--and
50 they will CO. to the end Of the chapter. Now let
us whether this new accusation, as well as the
former, cannot be shown to be groundless.
Our Correspondence Troopcl-whose publica.
ton appears in to-day's paper--states the facts o!
this case. 1t appears that the two troops, in New
Castle county, were raised under the old militia law
at least as early as 1921. They were known to be
organized some years before the passage of our pre-
sent militia law, which went into operation on The
first Tuesday of April, 1927. The Sussec Cavalry
were raised entirely under the new law, and were
never reported as organized until day or two be-
fore Mr. Wtbank was made Major. The time for
appointing the Major OF the New Castle Cavalry
was the same with that when all other field officers
were appointed, and the appointment was accord
ingy made about the middle Of Aarch. But no Dia-
jor could be appointed for the Sussex Cavalry, be.
Cause the 9Th section Of the act Of the militia lawex
presely points out The time for appointing Maor Of
cavalry to be 'When there shall be t1yo or more full
troops Of horse in the Brigade," and not before.
There were not two troops lull in Sussex on The
first uesday of April last. And the pre- umptOn,
of course, is, that they never full until the Ad
| jutant General--W. w. Green--reported them TO
be so. The Trooper HIMSELF you will observe, gave
the information to the Executive of the chickering's
between the old troops in the first Brigade, and sg-
gested the appointment Of Major who should not
belong to either company, before the day when the
law would give them the right to promotion from Sc
niorlty, as the only means of preventing squabbe
similar to that which had, before, destroyed the har-
mony of the corps. The notion that an officer was
entitled to promotion account of dates, beiore the
first Tuesday in April 1.-THE day which the Governor
by his circular to the field officers, pointed out as
that on which the law was to go into operatlon) II
such notion ever existed, was ridiculous in the ex-
treme and would, if adhered to, have given the
company officers who got out the first commissions,
the right to become Majors and Colones at once
nay to rise to the very highest stations in the mill
tia, before they had paraded company, or seen
parade--and merely because they happened to get
to Dover before others This would have been to
make an officer of volunteers old, before he was
young-to dub him senior Captain, before it could
be known whether he would even be able to raise
company at all. And if | have not been misnorm-
ed there were several volunteer officers commission
ed, who could never raise company afterwards.
Such nm officer, it appears to me- was not Untitled to
rank. In fact he was no officer. Yet if they had
been entitled to rank. before the parade day on
which it could be ascertained whether they had any
company, some of these men would have become
> Brigaders and Colones Immediately The COM
pany officers of most of the volunteer corps | am
told, were commissioned before one half of the field
officers yet the rule established, in all cases, was
that no man graded from seniority, until the first
r Tuesday of April (when the law commenced) by pa
o radlng, classing and organizing the new militia.
It NO Captain, am informed, was ever promoted on
u account OF seniority, in our any other militia, be-
fore 1t could be known, from parade, that he had
t. company to entitle him to the rank.
u have entered more minutely into this subject,
'i because 1t is aaid that Capt Vandegrif has resign