The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-12-16
THE MILITIA.
A MOVEMENT TO ORGANIZE STATE
TROOPS AND REDUCE TINE UNITED
STATES ARMY.


Weekly fRiohmond yal Newe, Nov. 2i.l
The public mind has become greatly inter
sapiaation Of the United States and In various
parts ot the country leading gentemen have
been discussing and taking action looking To
the more uerfect establishment Of the military
forces in the aevoral States To sTent certain
needed reforms in our military establishment,
Federal 'standing army" seems TO be the com
mon objective point Of oil theTa efforts, and Ger
tainly with TINT object the IN movement cannot fail
to receive the popular encouragement every
where. We say this s the common objective
point though We muai admit the exception Of
to be SpSerfeciina n pan by which the regular
army shall be. practically largely Increased IN
numbers. y, is not among those, however,
of whose efforts wa are now speaking, 1t ts,
indeed, partly to antagoniZn hia Hehema that
these efforts have been made. I'm . republic
like oure n numerous standing army ta q stand
ing menace to civil liberty and this ia n fact so
well understood that the popular sympathy ia
easiIv aroused In behalf of any movement
whose object Ia TO restrict the Hi7a and services
of the military establishment 40 that u cannot
be used for the orpreaaion Of the peoplo
Al the same time, however Wise statesman
Hbip will not nj ow the country to be diveeted Of
its means Of defense nor permit our mil itary
nnprepared for the encounter should foreign
enemy make war upon us. The we'll established
theory, under the teachings Of the founders Of
our republic, Is that the standing army ought to
be the mere nucleus of our military organiza-
tion, around which. IN tune Of war, the military
teally and efficiently mobilizod.
With the purpose of assisting In this move
ment public meeting, waa recently held IN
lishment of the military force of this State: aud
upon consultation and discussion hetweeu
Y Dab pebpay
Maury. chairman of n committee appointed for
the purpose Of drawing H. wac read and adopt
ed Gen, Maury haa been solournng IN Dan
vilie for the past few days aud. In several inter
views we have had with him, has very much
impressed us with the importance Of thia mill
In NOV A a. writtnn
out for us the main features Of tho plan agreed
upon by the Richmond meeting aa embodied in
print in this connection and recommend tho
subject to the attention of our military men in
this section OF the state
LETTER FROM GEN. y. H. MAuRy.
To the Editor Of the Daily News:
On Thu,a aday, the seventh instant. n meeting
was called in Richmond nf tho Alumni Of tho
Virginia Military Institute and Of officers Of
volunteers 70 consider tho best means ~ roduc
ing tho expenditures ot the standing army Of
the United States. ot promoting the efficiency
of the volunteers and militia of the Sta'ol. and
ofsecuring a better system Of education hrongh
the national and Stat" and military academies
A committee was appointed to consider and
report upon the best plan for ACCOMPLISHING
tho objects In view. and on Tueaday tho twelfth
at a called moeting reported that tho following
memorial shauld be sent to our Representa-
tives In Congress aud that The 30 operation of
the other States should ho invited in accom-
plishing the desired refnr y,
The report OF tho committee with the mono
The memorial acts forth
That the preaont condition Of the militia Of
Virginia IA inefficient and inadeGuate ia re-
strain disorder or insurrcrtion within tho
State; TO repel invasion or 10 meet the inton-
tion of tho fathers Of the ropnt in whom they
provided that tho war purposes oi the nation
should be accomplished by the militia of the
That tho whole armed force of Virginia now
consists of about twenty compnpios of voiun-
teer soldiery which ain-many OF them remote
from each othcr.,hadl oluippei and disci;
plined and dependent upon their own personal
resources for their precarious maintenance.
That tho ANAL amounts annually aprrorri-
ated to the use oi tho State militia ~ insufficient
to supply moro than throe or four companies
with arms and that for want OF arms many
companies are now DELAYING organn.tion anu
that many of tho other States Of thht Union are
In no better condition in these respects than
Virginia
tenance OF the militia nf the States are no
greater than they wern ninety years ago. when
we were only eight ~ ntnn milltonaoi p"nu!"
ing army OF the United States has continually
Increased In force and in cost until I has ho-
come a fearful bulthen upon our heavily taxed
That In ls4e our regular army of fifteen regt
ments. about Sna0 electives was founu sum
s.ient t. enable us 70 conauer Mexico and Keep
the Indians auiet-that after the acquisition OF
California. Arizona and New Mexico tn, four
regiments which were added for the increased
nerTsssties of the emigrants on our frontier
Were su aCtent 10 meet tho increased demand
for troCps. But that on the close OF the wai he-
tween rho states tie policy or fifN government
called for n greatly incrna scd regular army
as not merely to guard thn frontiers and sea
coast but alsa to police the States. X ~ evident
that the military system of the nation HIS
drifted away from the urincplos on which II
was established by tEa wise founders of our
government and has abandoned the scheme oi
an Inexpensive and rt5, lent citizen salliery for
that of n costly regular army under tho dtreci
orders 1f the President Inf the United States
The a'tention OF Congress having been earn
estly directed 10 the reform of these evils. your
mem orialists pray that such measures may h.
taken as ~ ynur wisdom may seem hcst ny fa4-
ter the militia of the State aud to give sueh all
In money and supplies otho State governments
IS viii enable them NJ maintain the State troops
in an efficient condition to meet the military
requirement. Of the nation. Aud IN further.
ance 0f this object We pray that provision shall
be made for enabling the Officers ~ IN" STATE
forces to ba instructed in the schools for cav
airy artillery and infantry. which are or may
be established for the officers OF the United
States army.
And We further pray that in future the an
pointmapts Il the United states army 81 cadetS I.
from Nigina t. tha National Military AcnGemy I
at VI 80 Point shall he made by selecting those 7
graduates Of the Virginia Military Institute \
who shall he the best qualified by attanmentS
In soldiership and scholarship TO become chi
GERS of the United States army.
And your mem0rialistF etc.
DAENEY II. MAURT.
Chairman of Committee. and others. (
n