The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-10-25

from which tine squibs quoted, and yet
complains OF ignorance on the part OF
"Squibor.'
With great legal and military strategy,
"Martinet" marches and countermarches,
flanks and founders, to make the cadets part
OF the militia, which are contemplated in the
United States statute rs the aehote body Of
the militia.
II in his search he had read section 1925,
United States Revised Statutes, page 2S5,
he would have found that "every able-bo-
died male citizen OF the respective. States.
resident therein. who is OF the age OF eigt-
teen years, and under the age OF forty-tive,
shall be enrolled in the militia Then
there is this appropriation OF S2O0,o0o Tor
the whole body OF the militia. Can anything
be palmer than that it is for the whole of
the militia Of the several States?
Now, what constitutes the militia OF Flr-
ginia?
Article TX. of the Constitution OF Nir-
ginia answers the question:
Section l. "The militia OF this State shall
consist OF all able-bodied male persons be-
tween the ages OF eighteen and forty-hve,'"
" and the militia shall be organized, armed,
and equipped, and trained as the General
Assembly may provide by law"
by law for the encouragement OF the volun-
teer corps OF the several arms OF the SER
vice, which shall be classified as the active
militia, and all other militia shall he classi-
fed as the reserve militia, and shall not be
required to muster In times OF peace
All Virginia militia, then, are active or
reserve militia. There is no other kind OF
militia in existence, and the cadets must be
one or the other If they are mlitiamen.
l. Are they reserve militia? II so, by sec
ton OF chapter % Of the Code OF 1873.
the Governor can arm them only when
called into actual service. 2. But it is evil
dentIy intended by Martinez" to make
the cadets active militia il anything?
We have only to inquire now what is the
active militia, and in the Sessions Acts OF
1874, p. 270. 5 1, we find the answer: 1.-The
active militia shall be composed OF rolun-
teers, and in case OF war; &C., shall first be
! ordered into service" The same act repeals
all previously existing laws concerning the
volunteers, and then provides for their or
ganizatlon. Let us see il the cadets are
formed under that law. Among its pro-
visions are that company shall have not
less than fifty nor more than one hundred
men, volunteering for five years, who shall
sign an agreement to form a volunteer COM
pany, which shall be sent to the Adiutant-
General; they elect their own officers, who
are examined by board; the Governor
commissions them; for negligence, Nc,
they are tined-the sheriff may collect
the fines; they shall wear a pre-
scribed uniform; they may have con-
tributing members under certain re-
strictions, &C., &c. Now, we all know
that the cadets are not organized under that
1o,,- bou do yo1,1ntoor FOR five
thev do not elect their own officers; the
Governor does not commission them; they
do not wear the regulation uniform; they
are not fined for disobedience OF orders
in short, they are not organized under this
law. Then they are not volunteers. If not
volunteers, they are not active militia, be-
cause of section l OF the Statutes OF 1874;
il not rolunteers-dctire m,itid-they must
be reserve militia to be militia at ALL be-
cause there are only two kinds il reserve
militia, not entitled to arms under section
|, chapter %.
What, then, are the cadets: "They are a
military corps under the command OF the
superintendent,"- body of students at q
school where military tactics are taught. 1t
is q school which is an honor and an Orna-
ment to the State. Its cadets are the equal
OF any cadets on this continent-in every
respect as good as those OF West Point. The
institution should receive from the State OF
Virginia every dollar that is needed to carry
judiciously into effect the schemes OF its
eminent corps of professors; but they are
no more entitled to be called militia than
are the police OF Richmond, consequently
not entitled to cent OF the appropriation
|. by the United States to the militia. 1t is no
wonder the Governor, however, sent them
| = 4r-o hrnHra1 fNhpy cont in
July: he had Just been to their commence
ment, and, like schoolgirl OF sweet SIX
teen, had been infatuated with the hand
some bearing of the cadets and daZZled
with the brass buttons; thoughtlessly, rot
"corruptly." he erred-hunlanun est
errare five thousand dollars bad just been
put to the credit OF the State at Washing
ton, and out Of the fund the order for
$3, $50 worth OF guns was made. 1t was a
combined fund, then, with whatever was to
the credit of the State before; and there Is
no point made in saying it didn't come out
of the appropriation OF this year. Poor
militia was forgotten; the Attorney Gene
raj was not consulted about the law, and 4
gun superior to and more expensive than
| the guns in the hands OF the militia was or
dered. This was an act Of the Governor,
not an act of the Commander-in-C Chief, any
more than the veto Of the canal bill was the
act OF the Commandcr-in-Chief.
II "Martinet" means these guns have
only been put in the Valley arsenal for safe
keeping till needed, all right; they, or at
least portion OF them, are needed now,
and the residue may under our laws be
exchanged for accoutrements, for which
there is immediate Use; in fact, accoutre-
ments could have been obtained by the Gov
ernor instead OF guns at first. When there
are surplus arms let them be put in the ar
senal, and let the cadets use them, but until
there is a surplus there is only one section
OF the law OF Virginia which authorizes
the arming OF the cadets, and here it is:
Section %, chapter 25. "The Governor OF
this Commonwealth shall have power to
have the refuse arms OF this State cut or
otherwise altered for the use OF the cadets
in the several schools in this Common
wealth, in which military discipline has
been or mag hereafter be introduced"
It is to be deplored that the incoming
Governor, whose duty it. is, under the Con-
stitution, to encourage volunteers, will have
to say to those now being organized in the
State when they apply for arms that they
must wait until next July for the appro.
priation from Congress, in consequence ol
the cadet-fever which attacked his predeces.
sor in July, 1877. SouIBoR.
RICHMOND, October a, 1877.
! Editors Dispatch: On the afternoon ol
Thursday OF last week my card announcing
myself q candidate for q denomination fol
the Legislature before the primary held on
Yesterday was published in the State for the
| first time, and its first publication in the