Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1840-03-19
'retarys report in which his plan Is announced and

stationed as TO be ready take their places
epe the invader The age of the recruit to be from 90 10 T h
whole term OF service to be eight yensour in the frs
ss anu ou IN tue reserve: oneourh part twenty-five Thousand
men, TO leave the serviceerery year. passing the
duty altogether end OF the second In this manner twenty
hve thousand men will be discharged from militia duty every
wee IL VIII be sufficient for all useful purposes that the remain
der OF ,he militia under certain regulations provided for the
be enrolled and he mustered long and stated inter
vas Tor IN due process Of tme nearly the whole mass of the
ebers oil the active Of the counted
The cSemp who will be liable called upon only periods
days service and the rate Of compensation ought
be fixed by law but the details had better be len subject to
iMmh-a plan OF which am prepared 10 submit TO YOU
| Now, we ask whether the objections OF Mr.. Rves to
the plan of the Secretary do not apply with equal and
some points with greater force to the recommends
tons OF Mr. Jeferson 1t is not little odd, that the
pupil IS always running his head against the master
So similar the features of the two projects that Mr.
Poinsett might almost be accused of plagiarism, did not
the merit OF every plan of this nature consist in the de-
tails and execution rather than the idea. Does Mr.
Poinsett propose "militia force of two hundred thou
sand men, always ready to take their places in the
ranks in defence of the country Mr. Jefferson speaks
of "upwards of three hundred thousand men which
will furnish a competent number for offence and de-
fence in any point where they may be wanted Docs
the Secretary designate the age OF from ~ TO 81 as the
proper period of life Mr. Jefferson indicates the shorter
but more vigorous interval "beween lo and 2G.' Does
Mr.. Poinsett recommend for the purpose of constant
rotation, the annual exit and entrance of twenty five
thousand men: MT JEFFERSON also suggests regular
rotation Does the Secretary suggest that the remain
der of the militia ssunder certain regulations provided
for their government be enrolled and be mustered at
long and stated intervals" and "counted as exempts,
&c Mr. Jefferson observes that 'the reducing to the
early period of life all its active services, cannot but be
desirable to younger citizens, inaSmuch as it en-
cages to them, in advanced age quiet and un-
disturbed repose in the bosom of their families Does
MIR. Ponset desire body of militia in acve service
and another of equal number reserve Mr.. JET
o,,,fha
active part from that which is less So, &c, &c We
might continue the striking parallel, We not ap-
prehcnsive of trying the patience of our readers.
We find MIR. Rives again at his usual tricks of aut
ation and pcrversion The troops he observes, ''to
be armed equipped and paid by the u s., according to
rate of compensation to be fixed by law, but in other
respects be under the regulation Of the War De-
partment Now, what is the language of the Secre-
tary, which is here partially and disiontedly quoted:
The of enrolment, the number of days of SER
vice and the rate Of compensation ought to be fixed by
law but the details had better be left for regulaton-a
plan of which am prepared to submit to you. The
only possible plan for rendering the militia eicl
ent is to and discipline them more frequently or for
longer periods and this only be done by selecting
portion from the mass all the citizens Of the
try caunot be spared ofen for much time, from
their customary avocations. This then, is the essen
tal feature of the plan of the Secretary, and indeed
must be that of every such project This portion, the
Secretary, in the phraseology of Mr. Jefferson calls
SOhpoSSu Va iooS'oo.
men, instead of Mr. Jeflersons $780, 900 Another hun
drcd thousand is TO form sreservc that is, force
not in activity, but in readiness The remainder OF
the militia are to be exempt from actual duty and
lable to be called upon only in periods OF INVASION or
imminent peril Thus far all seems very innocent,
peciay when consider that the civic character is
constantly maintained by the circumstance that "twen-
ty-fvc thousand men will be discharged from militia
duty every year, and twenty-five thousand fresh re-
cruits be received into the service. Such perpetual
n nj IDp mai la
with the idea Of standing army, especially the con-
troll Of the Government, in the system, will not
be greater than under the old Speaking of pro-
per military preparation, Gen Washington remarks
AMOR can such arrangements with such objects be ex
posed TO the censure jealousy of the warmest friends
of Republican Government. They are incapable of
abuse in the hands of the militia, who ought to possess
pride in being the dcpositary of the force of the Re-
public and may be trained to degree OF energy equal
TO every military exigency ofthe United States How
different this from the canting, whining tone of Mr.
Rives when he cxclams, that ''ths most exraordlna-
~ project cmphatcaly endorsed it is by the Presi-
dent deserves the most serious reflection OF every
friend of the public liberty.
Such force as that recommended BY the Secretary
of War; is precisely militia in the Of the Viz
gnia Bill Of Rights which Declares that IA we'll re-
gulated militia composed of the body of the people,
trained arms, the proper natural and safe defence
of free State When militia so constituted, per-
peiually replenished from and returning to the body
fore, will the people be unworthy of freedom Does
the circumstance Of their being paid, when in the ed
constitute them standing army: Why, the present
militia when in actual service, paid by the Govern
ment, often, too at enormous expense, TO very Ut
tie purpose According to the Secretary plan, the
active portion of the militia amounting TO one hundred
thousand men, throughout the Union are to be trained
annuay say from ten to thirty days. as Congress may
determine Their pay, during this time, we believe,
is to be that of the army, certainly very moderate
| tba1 oc nf tin,aIC ri unuerpO
and one to which they Justly entitled AT other
times, they receive pay, and not distinguished
or sepatated from the mass of the people The
PLAN in one word, is TO give to one portion OF the
citizens the advantages of more careful and pro-
tracted training, and to compensate them when SO
engaged IF this constitute standing army, then
we can comprehend neither terms nor thlngs.-Ihe
loss to the Treasury gain to the Nation even IN
pecuniary point of view Estimating the present
militia of the United States at million of men, IA We
~ moderate calcuation what must be the loss occa-
stoned by the sacrifice to them of one or two days an
nually and that to little or no purpose, under the pre-
sent system' The mere sacrihce OF ordinary iaoor,
would amount to more than million OF dollars, and
when we consider that many of the men called out are
skifu citizens employed in the higher pursuits Of
life the estimate is enormously increased. we do not
sneak now of the demoralzaton the drunkenness the
debauch, the violence for which militia trainings
are so notorious ali the Union, and winch would
be obvated by the regular dlscp and s'rlcter sur
I FPllNHCE
prctends to think, that this would add many millions
10 the public burthens. We cannot mag inc how the
annual expense would reach half million, which IS
nothing when compared to the loss incurred BY tbe
people and to little purpose, under the present
system. How the temporary compensation to be
fixed by law, subject the men to executive
control or influence, at loss to conceive
MANY plans for the reorganization of the militia have
been suggested, and they, almost without exception,
embrace the features Of frequent and protractca
training, and with compensation when thus engaged.
The idea of the Secretary is not novel one, and his
project must be estimated by its details and executions
which he will doubtless ably and satisfactorily explain
From what we have been able to gather it seems to u.s.
eminen,y practicable and republican, and calculated to
obvae the necessity of larger standing army than IS
at present contemplated, which, without some such
substitute, will become unavoidable Our present po-
sition by no means resembles suation fifty, TWEEN
tv or even ten years ago. We have formidable neigh
bors on the North the West and the South, not speak
of the Atlantic coast which Europe now so approx,
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