Elizabeth daily monitor. [volume] (Elizabeth, N.J.) 1868-1880, 1869-02-08
THE STATE MILITIA.

our active militia. We are not inform
ed as to the number of the rank and
file included upon its roster, but it can
hardly exceed three thousand men.
Besides these, we have reserve force
OF officers holding commissions, doing
no duty, and having no known connec-
ton with any body of troops. The
Newark Advertiser says there are gen
erals and colonies of this sort to the
number of about three thousands
many as the whole active foree-who,
in many instances rank all of those
whom we are accustomed to look upon
as commanding officers. We have no
doubt there are twenty men III the
State who have the legal right and au-
thoity to relieve Gen. Runyon Of his
command on any occasion OF parade or
review. The theory of our present law
is once Il general always a general. No
commission expires from neglect of du-
to or from term of service Death
alone can break the tie that binds a man,
once commissioned, to the New Jersey
State Militia.
Luckily, these gentlemen are not al
together qualified to set squadron in
the field, and were they to attempt to
relieve Gen. Runyon, rs we have sug-
gested they might, they would only win
an elephant. Thelittle they know of
tactics or battalion drill would not suf-
flee to break a company from platoons
into tours, aud consciousness of this
fact keeps over three thousand Gener-
ais and Colonies in the back ground.
So it happens that they do no particu-
lar harm. If they tried to, good tao
tician, .woald soon get them into
hopeless scrape that would quench
their military ambition forever.
A bill now pending before the Legis-
lature proposes to rectify this ridiculous
state of affairs to retire or otherwise
get rid Of this army of brigadiers with
out hrigades and to give us a,real and
effective militia without the humbug-
ging annoyance to which we are at
present subjected. The project of the
proposed law was drawn up by mum
Der of most competent officers, and
from careful scrutiny OF its provisions
we are convinced that it is conceived in
the true military spirit, and will give
us ar efficient militia without unreason-
able expense, The bill proposes to
merge all existing organizations in what
is to be known as the National Guard
of the State of New Jersey" 1t author
ICES the Governor, as COMMANDMENT
Chief, to organize not more than sixty
companies of infantry, two batteries of
artillery and six companies of cavalry.
These arc to be organized into three
brigades, which will constitute divis-
ion-the natural unit of all armies, and
upon which all movements are based
The General commanding takes rank
as Major General and is to be the
only officer OF that grade in the State.
With him, also, are vested certain and
considerable powers, such as the dis
banding of any organization which is
deficient in numbers or mutinous in
discipline.
This Capitalization of authority is
indispensable to discipline, and. were
it not for the elective system of choos-
ing officers, might become political
engine. But so long as the privates
choose the company officers, the latter
elect the colonel, and so on through all !
the grades, there can be no harm from
this source, The bill also provides for
getting rid of all bogus or supernume- |
rary officers. If an officer removes out /
of the State, if he is absent from duty
for more than six months, or if the
corps to which he is attached is dis
banded, he is himself ruled out and
subsidies into the statue of civilian.
Whatwill it cost /? The law propos-
es to pay from the Treasury to each
company the sum of five hundred. dol
lars annually. This is to be in lieu of
all the present provisions for uniforms
and for rent of armories and drill
rooms. Surprising the force TO be full,
an annual appropriation of $4,000
would be required. Is this too expen-
siyc? Under the present law, our ex-
isting inefficient and half organized