Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1840-06-19
'WENrY-sIxTu CoNGREss---l>, SESSION
~ SENATE OF Tue UNITED STATES.
jaRe :, 1910.
:, Submitted, ard ordered u b. printed.
hr. CLAY Of Alabama made the following

me e0"mittcc Ike .;hiiia, 10 rhoE 1rGS Tcfcrrd
mHeh 81 The rcpon iMc Sscrcioryc IF H@r, as rciatc
10 tie reorganization md discipline If the miiitia
summit thc tOIoTia9 ,cporE
nat, dny approaching the Importance of the sub
ect ana in'iy concurrin@ III the opinion that ga well
regulated militia necessary 10 the security of
ifcc STATE, they have thought proper 10 cxarnn,
u, IN reference 10 the powers of Congress- the var
GUS pans winch have been proposed, and such mca
sircs as have been maurcd, different periods since
| The adoption of the Constitution. From the carllcs
fcFina OF our history there to have been gcne
raj concurrence in the opinion, that wcll-organizcC
militia IS not only the most economical but the mos
safe and reliable means Of national defence. Indeed
when we take INTO view that Government orini
mated in the spontaneous will Of the people, that il wa.
organized and lis fundamental law constructed by them
that, recognizing man $ capacity for sc-gnvcrnmrnt
and the leading principle that majority shalt govern
al ." alike interested IN its preservation the cnnclu
sion follows necessarily, that the national defence must
be most secure IN the hands Of a czcn-soilery. The
experience Of former ages had shown the danger TO H.
bcrty from large standing armies, well the cx
pense OF maintaining them; and our own experience
during the Of the Revolution had proven that free
men, almost without organization, and without dsc.
pIine, were invinc.blc, when battling in defence OF
their rights, and for the safety of their own
families and hrcsidcs Hence, the Constitution, re-
lying on The militia the best safeguard agains;
all enemies, domestic and foreign, expressly dc.
cgatcs 10 Congress the power 10 provide for call
mg them FORTH '.to execute the laws Of the Union,
suppress Instructions, and rcpc invasons. And the
past history Of our country fully juSits the conf
dcnce in the militia, indicated by th.s grant Of power;
for, M 10 the present moment, they have been
called upon, any OCCASION when their country was
in danger, or needed their services from any cause,
that they have not rallied 10 her standard with the
most prompt al"criv, and cvncCd Tic most ard pa.
tr!o,sp, and determined courage.
TO render TINS of the national defence more eff
Client, the Constitution delegates 10 Congress further
power in the following words
$40 provide for organizing, armlng and dIscip!inng
the militia, and for governing such part Of them may
b. employed in the of the L. States rcservng
10 the States respectively, the appointment OF the o
GERS, and The authority of training the militia, accord
ing TO Inc discipline prescribed by Congress-
The mode in which this power could be best executed,
has been more or less the subject of dcIbcraton and
discussion during every administration since the adop
ton Of the Contribution. As early the 2lst Of Janu-
ary 1870, plan for organizing, armug, and dsciplIn-
ing TIE militia, proposed by General Knox, then Sec
Rotary of War, communicated 20 the Senate by Pre-
sidcnt Washington. The committee deem II proper 10
exhibit somewhat of n carly history films interesting
subject, both regards The views o! the Executive and
the Ter slaLon Of Congress. IN regard 10 Ii" former,
thcy present the following extracts from the report
Of The Secretary Of War, which has hcan i"si referred
to:
TIC r,'ao ri Gca. haor.
"Ihc period &c lie, in winch military service shall
required b tiic cltlItiIS oi iIt u
at eighteen and terminate al the age "f sixty years.
The men comprchcIjrd lay this descriptions, exclusive
Of such exceptions the legislatures o The respective
States may think proper to make, Gnd al GriuHi mdr-
"cr$ shall be enrolled TOR different j. -rccs OF military
duty, ard divided INTO three distinct classes.
'.'llc first class shall comprehend the youth of c'-'
teen nineteen, and twenty years Of age, 10 be drnom-
mated In" adranrcd ca1,S. The second class shall IN
cluLc the from twcntycne 10 forty five years Of
age, to be denom'na!cd the min rorPS. Tine third
class shall comprehend, Incusvcly, the men from for
~ six 10 skis Of; age, 10 be Gcnomnatcd the re-
..A the militia OF :
Of the "giou, which shall be the permanent cStahsi4-
mrnt thereof
q, legion shall consist oGonc hundred and iitg-threc
commissioned officers, and two thousand eight hun
dred and eighty noncommSsioned officers ana pva'vS,
formed in the following manner:
"Of Mc ddroaccd rorpS.-The youth OF cghteen and
;ueir,u wears shall BE- disciplined FOR thirty days sue.
ccssyely in each year. and those Of twenty years shall
be DISCIPLINED only for days in each year, which shall
be The last ten DAYS of the annual cncanpmcnts
"Thc non commissioned officers and privacs are not
TO receive any pay during the SAID time, but the com
mssioned officers vii! receive the pay OF Their reai'e
ranks agrceay the federal establishment for The time
beng.
ain order that The plan shall cectualy answer the
end proposcd the first day Of January shall he the fixed
pcrioG Tor all who attain III aye OF eighteen years III
any part or during the ccuTs" ol each year. 10 6e en-
rDI IN UEFHHff
oytLs IN perjDrsa ptrS0paV SUct ic"1 military Errrire
as ,anu dirrciod far tie Hj md c0mPctc term ~ MrC
v,ars 10 he csiimatcd rom the Gc Of cmrGHcf i"io the
S0d r0ryS 0ud GSO To tGkC auth IF aHegdncc tn INC
Sa,c and to he L. 5
..Jhc grin ca,ps is instituted TO preserve and circu
la,, tlrauolant The community the military discipline
.co,;r.d N the advanced corps I" arm IL" people and
& firmly by practice an, habit, those forms amt max
ms winch are essential TO the lric and energy OF tree
Governments
..rb. yrs,rrcd earns is ins ucd to prevent men be-
nr sent to the field whose strength IS unequal 20 s'iS
lam The seventies of an active campaign Bn, by or
ranzinp aud rendering them eligible tor domestic ser
vice prca.cr proportion of The Younger and robust
mr., The community may be enabled, in case OF neces.
sitv 10 encounter the more urgent duties ot war.
Such were the views entertained, and the plan OF or
oonization and discipline Of the militia, proposed by tat
DISTINGUISHED veteran and patriot, General Knox, "h"
had prrilrd "l;:r fortune and sacred honor during
our Revolutionary struggle, and contributed ms lni!
sb,re in the achievement of our liberty and Indcpcnn
encc Tia, his plan received the appreciation OF me "a
thor of his country then President of the T. States Is
clearly manifested by the official documents In re-
uhittino his plan TO the President, 10 BE- laid before
Congress- Gen Knox expressed himself III The following
language:
s.unvjno submitted to your consideration plan Tor
the Arrangement ol the militia of the T. States wich
had presented to the late Congress, aud 90" a"'"s "P
prorcd the @eneroi principles hcreg 'r,h cf""t" a.
ccpttOHS, y NOR Tf!VttJH'iy '"y ~ sunni ''J''
;Gsd aseording to ne attentions you ~erc penScd 10
sugscu" General Washington having subsequently
dlrcccd him TO lay the plan before Congress, accom-
panied by the Secrctarys declarations that he had zap
proved the general principles thereof, with certain ex,
cepons" which had been obviacd by "lhe alterations
which he had been 'peascd TO suggest, substantially
adopted il as his own.
There does not appear, however, to have been any
law nasscd for the organization and Disc pine OF the
militia, until the act entitled "An act more e'rc'"ay
to provide for the national defence, by establishing an
Uniform militia Throughout, the United States, ap-
proved May :, 1872, which was no doubt, an emana-
lion from the views communicated to Congress by zen
Knox as already noticed though il did not fully carry
them out THIS act is still! upon our stalute-hook ana
not yet repealed: though IT is SO utterly d'sFegardGd !"
many parts of the Union that It's existence IS almost
unknown To show how far it carried the plan OF or
eaniza,ion and The burdens imposed npon the czehs
the committee beg leave here to introduce the follow
ing sections:
"SEcrros l. Re 1t enacted by hc Senate md House o.
REPRESENTATIVES Of the United Suites Of }mertca IN Con-
grrss assembled That each and every Free abe-boded
white male citizen of the respective States, resident
therein who is or shall be Of the age Of eighteen years
and under the age of ortyive years, Except as IS