Weekly Trinity journal., 1863-12-26

Under the Act of April 25th, 1868, amendatory
Of and supplemental to the Militia Law of 1862,
! there has been held one Camp of Instruction and
four Brigade Encampments. The Adjutant Gen
eral estimates the cost of these Encampments to
the State at $40, 600, exclusive OF camp equip
age which the State now owns, and which, with
care, may be used for the same purpose for years.
This estimate gives expenditure for transpor-
taton, pay, and subsistence of thirty-fye dol
lars to the man, or three and half dollars per
day for the ten days they were in camp. FOR
details of these expenditures and their probable
results your attention is called to the thorough
exposition of the Adjutant General.
Independent of their necessary cost the policy
of maintaining Brigade Encampments may be
questioned on the grounds that they may inter-
fere with the willingness Of our citizens to enter
| the volunteer force knowing that they Will be
subjected to the loss Of time from their ordinary
avocatons, in attending to this duty as required
by law. Men can devote the necessary time for
| company drill and arc willing to do so. while
| the attendance upon distant encampment might
| involve q more serious sacrifice than they would
voluntarily incur.
The last Legislature provided for the support
of armorcs for the different companies sum
| not exceeding $50 per month for each regiment
| $50 and for light batteries, not less than $3.50
| In the aggregate these proportions will be found
to swell to a large and burdensOme amount
This should be remedied. Our expenditures for
military purposes are in any event necessarily
large, and in view of the importance of sustain
ing the militia upon sound and permanent
footing, there is an especial reason that the ap-
preparations therefor should be made in spirit
of wise and judicious economy. This term can
not be applied to the experience of the last year.
and | would particularly urge you to consider
what may or may not be required to maintain
in an efficient manner, and at the same time to
increase the militia organizations of our State
In servceable arms and equipments for the
companies already formed our State is deficient
! While the question Of supply was under discus
sion in the Legislature last Winter, and propo-
sition was before it for arming the State, was
informed by the Secretary of War that arms
should be forwarded to this State to the extent
of five field batteries (rihed guns, nineteen
| thousand improved muslets and three thousand
| setts cavalry arms
This information was received from the War
Department in telegraphic dispatch, on the
twenty-ffth of March, 1868, and its general tea-
lures were communicated to the Senate on that
day. The State has received since that period
three thousand muslets, six hundred pistols, and
few old-style rifles. AS the number of our or
ganized militia increases, the necessity of having
a full supply of arms becomes more and more
apparent, and ] would call the attention Of the
Legislature once more to this important question.
| militia, well organized and equipped, is Il
| IOldDlc means Vi ucleuSe, anu lHC tHVhpcSb IhuI
can be devised and while it has no tendency to
! overawe endangcr the liberties of a State, it
! will always prove in times of great danger
more powerful force than any regular one that
could be maintained, or that safety could admit
A few millions of dollars, equal only to the cost
of supporting few regiments of regular troops,
| appropriated each year by the General Govern
ment, for thorough development of the militia
system, would secure to it Il force sufficient for
! any emergency There is Il well-founded impress
sion existing that in the future the United States
must have strong military force to rely upon,
but trust the nation will never fall into the
folly of maintaining large standing army.
Russ HoUsE-SAN FRANCIsCo.- We would call
the attention of our readers-more especially
those who purpose visiting the Bay City, to the
card of lIardenbergh Dyer, proprietors of this
frst-cass Hotel of the Pacific coast. They have
recently purchased and added to their House the
three-story building on Pine street. for the
commodation Of their growing patronage. The
Russ House now covers nearly the entire block
bounded by Montgomery, Bush, Kearney and
Pine, and is, in every department, the most ele-
gantly finished and furnished Hotel in San Fran
cisco. No more thorough-going, popular or at
| tentiye Hotel men live than Hardenbergh & Dyer
The attaches Of the House are affablc and atten-
tive to their duties-aways ready to minister to
the behests Of patrons The Russ House is head
quarters for Northern people representatives
from Trinity, Shasta, Siskiyou and Humboldt
may always be found there. Give the g Russ " a
trial when you go to the 'B5y.
STATE Observation-Disclosures Jones is thanked
for pamphlet copies of the messages of Cows
Stanford and Low, and copy the proceedings