The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1856-02-01
INTRODUCTION TO THE REPORT OF THE
AdSuaamt General for 1866.
His ENceIIency, JAMEs PoLLock,
G0ueraor "a Pennsyluania !.

Ills Sa'iSH AOA'HCShS
Governor Of Pennsylvania:
SlR:-As required by Law, ] herewith sub
nit to your Excellency detailed Report of the
condition of The militia of the Commonwealth,
(embracing allihv information in my possession,)
together with an inventory OF The arms aud
military stores now in the several arsenas.
The building occupied as temporary arsen-
al in Philadelphia, at an annual rent Of S400, is
no better than an ordinary barn, and is entirely
inadequate to the safe keeping OF the stores
there deposited, it being SO located as to render
it very insecure from The ravages of FIRE, fact
which brought to the attention OF the LrgSla-
ture in my last annual report. 1t was the only
building, however, that could be had at the
time 1t was rented, and was only intended 10
be used for limited period. wond respect
fully suggest that there is no use whatever iol
an Arsenal at either Philadelphia or Meadvillr,
now that our public improvements are capable
of transmitting the arms, &c. to almost any
part ofthr State in few days, and at a trifing
cost. The present Arsenal at Harrisburg, " ilh
few hundred dollars OF repair. viii BE- amply
sufficient to hold the stores now on hand, and
all that will be likely 10 accrue, under the pre-
sent aPpoItonment, for great many years TO
come. in my judgment, the public interests
would be promoted by the passage Of an act to
sell the arsenal at Mradvillr, and authorizing
the removal of the stores from the Philadelphia
TO the Harrisburg arsenal. II the thirty thou
sand dollars for which the Philadelphia arsenal
was sold nov in the Treasury,l and the amount
which would arise from the sale Of the Mead
vile arsenal, We're appropriated for the encour-
agement OF volunteer companies it wond only
l. r -. .t
ly entitled. Music and Colors should be fnrn-
iShed b. the State, and the men composing
company should be allowed reasonable sum
for the time spent in preparing themselves to
offend their country from foreign invasion or
d{mestc Insurrection. To become member
Ola volunteer company, man necessarily eX-
pIndS from twenty-five to fifty dollars in provi-
Dig himself with proper Uniform: and is ii
jttt, after making this sacrifice Of his own per-
sonal means, that he should be required to spend
number of days, in the course Of year, for
the public good, without receiving some remu-
neration for the time thus spent?
The annual quota OF arms apporloned TO
Pennsy lvauia, tunder the law Of 1908, as a
mended by the seventh section Of San act max
ing appropriations for tie support of thu army,
for the year ending the 30th Of June, 1886, and
for other purposes" approved the Sd March,
1897 amounts to only twelve hundred and
thITty-thrre muSketS, which is not sufficient TO
supply the pressing demands upon this Office:
hence the necessity OF support from some other
quarter. Our quota will hereafter be made ac-
cording tc the number Of Representatives aud
Senators in CongI ess, and not according TO thr
number of miiiiamen in the Commonwealth, as
heretofore.
By the decision of The ordnance department,
at Washington, there was 369 8-l3 muskets
due US for the year 1853, all of which have
been issued, except l-l3 muskrs, which,
when added to the actual quota for 1896, gives
Us / 234 l-l3 musketS, or their equivalent in
such stores as may be deemed necessary to meet
tbe numerous wants OF our gallant citiz~n SOL
dirry.
Since the trainings Of tie uniformed mill
tia were abolished, we have never been able 10
get fill return oithe strength of the STATE,
consequently We have failed to draw as many
arms from the General Government as we Were
Justly entitled to. Whilst the second section OF
the act of 1849 requires the assessors, under
penalty of twenty-five dollars, TO make return
OF all delinquent millamen to the proper brigade
inspector, there is no binding obligation upon
brigade inspectors to make return TO the Adj
iutani General; and, Consequently, most OF
their reports have been deficient in thIS respect.
In lS47, during Governor Shnnk'S adminiS-
ratIon, reported two hundred and Seventy-SlX
thousand and seventy men as the strength OF
the militia Of the Commonwealth, upon oChict
basis We were furnished with arms from that
period up to, and including the year 1893. la
1854, after every reasonable effort on my part,
| was only enabled 10 report che hundred and
six thousand nine hundred and fity-sevrn men
as the force Of the State. My predecessor only
reported thirteen thousand one hundred and IF
ty, being the number OF Uniformed militia. This
reduced our quota to eightytwo muskets; and,
in the language of the head OF the ordnance de-
partment, placed Us in debt TO the General Gov
ernmpnt for period OF twenty years. This IN
debtedneSS, however, tor arms alleged TO have
been oUerarnwn.) was taken off after the proper
explanation as to how this deficiency occurred,
had been made Our interests hereafter will
not BE- affected, so far as drawing arms is con-
cerned, by an imperfect return of milltamen-
the quota being now based upon a principle
which cannot fail to give uniformity.
AT present Prnnsy lvania can boast of as fine
coiuateer organisation as any other State in
the Union; and il they were properly encour-
d9eu og ieS'S'd'Ne e"dt'hIr"'' 'nV W" NY
stone" would, in this particular, soon eclipse
any Of her sister States.
There are several companies, handsomely
uniformed, that have no arms, which has caused
much complaint. They are unwilling TO re-
crive old or secondhand guns, and would ra-
ther disband than parade with arms Of this de-
scripton. Some companies have accepted of
secondhand guns, under the promise that they
are to have ones as soon as they can be
had.