Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-01-22
For The Enquirer.
MILITIA AND VOLUNTEERS.

OaT Legislators have. il is presumed. pu. them
selves In possession OF the popular sentiment touch
r.: the suhiect embraced in the sbove caption.
Probably every one is posted up in the practical
working of the old system, which has been dormant
Tor several years except in the occasional election Of
brgGdier or major general to The exalted station oi
commanding nobody. ltreceived i's "coup dr. grace
not as worse than no system At all hut in the hope
that legOps ot volunteers would start into being like
the armed warriors Of old, from the sowing Of dra
CONS teeth. Well years have rolled by since the
spirits were called from the vasy deep" by the ab
rogaton Of the old statutes but they have no. yet re-.
sponded to the call. Grasping at shadow, We lost
the substance.
Where are the hundreds of thousands of strong
arms which, a few years ago, were ready and organ
lied to strike blow tor their country But they
were il may be said an undisciplined militia. Aye,
and 80 were their forefahers at Yorktown.
Again, where ars those well.appointed companies
Of foot and horse once 30 common in town and couu.
try!
There ia not one single company of Artillery, full
and complete in numbers and equipments in Virgi.
mia despite the efforts Of a few noble spirits TO re-
vivs this arm.
For four years past one single troop of rarnly has
been forced on ths old State in spite of herself.
Another. lin CumberlnndI enulous of noble exam
piles, will come down and unite with the former, on
the 22d proxiino, to enhance the festivities by squad
ron of Virginia cavalry.
But to Resume; il ID no longer possible to remedy
the past evils OF bunging interference with the mill
tia laws We can never recover tithe Of the arm;
issued and distributed throughout the State. W.
never regain our quota of arms for past yeara
from ths general government. Both losses necessar
ly arose from disbsnding the militia
1t will require years Of the operation of wise sta
tutes to arouse The military ardor of young men
80 long quenched by inacton.
1t is idle to talk about innate bravery and patriot.
ism unless ostersd by law. There or was as much
in Germany and Italy AS here.
The drum and fte must be heard in village and
forest or We shall be constant prey to idle alarms
and at last become slsves'to some despot.
BY general consent something must be done, but q,
to the nature of that something there is not much
unanmity. Experiments, on an extended scale iT
Mexico, have demonstrated the fact that volunteers
may attain high state of efficiency, 80 as tn play ar
important part even in an army of invasion. All le
gislation them this head should look to the speedy
Institution of strong corps of volunteers throughout
the State. Preliminary 10 this end, every sound male
between the eges of eighteen and furty.fve Years
must render to his State that service, in the way
drill and muster which he solemnly owes her. Re
quire by law the prompt collection of fines for every
delinquency, and the fret indispensable steps Ia
ken, which, however, only remove the impossibity
Of volunteer system.
To require volunteers to submit to several extra
drills beyond those eIaced Of other militia men, be
sides mourning ths cost of uniform, uhoM dny oGsct
is.to lay prOhibtory tax on the system: il agan
becomes impraclicable
But order your volunteers to attend six extra drills
or 10 go INTO camp Tor three days each year, allow ing
them the same eompensation as jnrymen adopting
the motto Of Randolph Of Rosnoks-"paY as you
GO" Remember that the volunteer is subject to
costly outfit, and liable to exposure from which the
juryman ia exempt.
1t is not 20 easy and inexpensive as aone may ina
gine, to keep arms and accoutremsnts in order fol
inspection. Away with the old fogyism. Of requiring
citizens to go 10 outlay of time, labor and money
without reimbursement. Again, the law which cOn
pes citizens TO leave home and business, some hal
dozen times per year, should further provide, thai
those citizens be exempt from other ordinary service
road-msnding fer instance.
1t ia thus, by obsyng tho dictates Of justice ant
policy, that every county may havea valuable polio.
force and tn. State acquire an army Of volunteer
worthy of her ancient rerown. But we must beal
in mind, that without the sound of bugle drum and
fife, in word, without militia musters any practicn
volunteer system is impossible. Again, without n
nucleus Of volunteers the urarmed rabbls called mi
litia, is a nuisance. SLASH.