The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-10-23
The virginia Military Institute---The
yoIunteers---The Governor.


yoIunteers---The Governor.
Ia tie Editors Of the Dispatch:
have noticed in letters recently appear
ing in your paper several filings ut Governor
Kcmpcr. as if he had wronged or outraged
the volunteer militia OF this State by send
I'M. two hundred muskets to the Virginia
Military Institute II | mistake not the
temper of the letters, they imply stretch
Of authority, through faYoritism or lgno-
rance. or. il YOU choose, corruption. TO aid
the Virginia Military Institute to the detrl-
ment Of the volunteers. Surely any one
making such insinuationS must be very iS-
norsut, not 10 say unfrlcndly. prefer TO
think the author ignorant; for an enemy or
opponcnt, il he is willy, never makes q
charge so easily reiutcd knowingly, lest
the viudicaton rebound nPoii him. A
Glance af the Federal law undcr which the
State receives her annual quota OF arms and
equipments. taken in connection with the
VIRGINIA laws on the subject OF militia, will
make this matter aS plain rs daylight. L
will briefly sum up the laws.
4 Federal statute (Rcvised Statutes OF the
United States. Tib. xvi, p. 2S3), passed as
carly as 1892, provides for the enrolment or
the militia throughout the United States
in all parts OF every Statc,-makcS 1t COM
their militia in divisions, brigadcS, &c. and
that the militia in all parts of States be pro-
yided with arms: requires the states to
officer their militia. and after many other
details as to the mode OF organizing, &c.,
rroyidcs (scction 1G6D: "The annual
lum OF $500. 600 is appropriated. to he paid
out Of any money in the Treasury not
otherwise appropriated, for the purpose
of providing arms and equipments for the
,rhoie body Of miiitia, either by purchase
ar manufacture" This sum is annually
apportioned among the States. Firginia's
quota is about $1,000, which Governor
kcmner receives i'll arms and equipments.
The arms and equipments are for the lchole
jadu Of mititia-not volunteers only, but
all. The laws of Virginia for organizing
the militia are made pursuantto this statute.
All her military forces must be militia, for
the Federal Constitution forbidS her having
Standing armies, and every military bTiy
not part OF Il standing army is militiar1ls,
according to Worcester. part OF the MILL
tin. "thc enrolled soldiers OF 4 nation
:. distinct from y standing army The
statutes OF the United States requiring
the state OF Virginia to officer, provide for,
and accept arms for her militia. pursuant
thereto the Constitution OF the State, Article
X. section ., SAYS: "The Legislature shall
uroyidc bv law for the encouragement OF
volunteer corps OF the several arms OF the
service. which shall be claSsed rs the active
militia: and all other militia shall be claSsi-
fed rs the reserve militia" But surely this
encouragement Of r0lunteerS was not IN
tended to go so far that when rOlatnteerS
were already provided with arms and equip
mcnts furnished for the ,ch0le body OF the
militia the Governor could not send to Il
~. .atn tnI nd
pOpulou> section OF the State arms fur
nishcd for the achole body OF militia because
there happens to be no volunteers at the
point There is but one legal arsenal in
VIRGINIA to-day. That is the Virginia Mill
tarv Institute. There is not an organized
volunteer militia company in the State un-
sllpplicn with arms. Several are without
cuuipmcatS. The Code, chapter 81, section
:. contcmplates the keeping OF the arms OF
Virginia at the Virginia Military Institute
arsenal, and requires the Board OF Visitors
to cause all the arms and ether property
,hcrein'' to be preserved 1t is the only
State school instituted on State foundation,
with State professors TO give construction
in military science" provided by the State
under the statute requiring her to officer
her militia. The Board "may prescribe the
terms upon which cadets may be admitted" "
in order TO require them, II necessary, to
drill the militia. Section is. Any commits
stoned officer of militia may become student
for ten months free Of charge. Section 10.
THE cadets shall be military corps, under
the command OF the superintendent, and
constitute the guard of the insttuion.'
The only recognized military corps in tue
State What sort Of military corps! They
must he standing army or militia. They
certainly are not a standing army. The
Constitution forbds it. Then they are Il
bart OF the uhoLe body OF the militia, or SIM
DIV the guard Of an arsenal having no pre-
else status: but whether the one or the
other, bound by law to guard the arms
stored there for the 1oltote body OF militia.
Section 90 Of chapter 81, Virginia Code,
makes it compulsory upon the superntcn-
dent of the Virginia Military Institute from
time TO time to inspect the arms at the arse
nal; cause the same to be kept safe and
clean; give receipt for such as are brought
there obey such orders for delivery OF arms
thcrefrom Us he may receive from tue Gov
crnor, &c. Yet the letters appearing
in your paper would imply that the Gov
crnor OF Virginia, in sending arms intended
for the cch0te body Of the militia to the only
arsenal in Virginia, in the midst OF the
worst armed portion OF the achole body OF
w tuC Ouiy paw " thSs
would be kept clean and safe, and after
he has armed every volunteer company in
the State, has done somebody harm some
how, or shown some disfayor to somebody
and favored somebody else. Although
Congress, who gives the arms, shows no
favor to one portion OF the tnhote body OF mi
lilia over another, and as the State law does,
and manifcstIy contemplated the dstribu-
ton OF arms To the 1ohote body, it is pre-
tended that the Governor has no authority
for placing two hundred breech-loading
guns in the Valley arsenal. when he has
distributed over one thousand elsewhere.
This is the plain law OF the case. Instead
OF violating law by sending the arms there
the Governor has for years omitted a
duty he owed the State 10 store her
arms in the only legal arsenal in her
limits, and not furnishing the guard
with proper means 10 protect tpem.
AS for precedent. the records show that
every Governor OF Virginia from Governor
Campbell in 1910 to the present day has re-
cognized the claim as OF right OF the corps
OF cadets to be armed by the State from her
Federal quota. The cadet battery was fur