Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1878-02-23
COMMUNICATED.
MILITARY PEACE ESTABLISH
MENT OF 1902.
No. 6.
I. II. B /. t. e.

as 4 nation ripens into order and stabil-
ty But in the particular OF military
science, the government OF the United
States has advanced backwards, so TO
speak. When the Indians were per
haps two to one in comparison with the
white people in 1902, and when the
young Republic was feebly making an
experiment OF self-government, with all
the world beside suspicious of the ex-
pertinent, and taithless in its obligations;
then the Congress enacted the law OF
the 10th of March, 1902, fixing the
peace establishment of the army. Now
let us see what enactment was provided.
At the time when the mother country
was writhing under the sting of defeat,
and anxious for new casus belli; wheL
the wild Indians were becoming resiive
under white encroachment, aud when
Toryism amongst the citizens caused
alarm. At that time, and with all those
causes Of apprehension existing, the
peace establishment was fixed by law at
zone regiment of artillerists and two
regiments OF infantry, composed OF
twenty companies of artillery, and each
of the two regiments of infantry shall
be composed of ten companies OF sixty
four privates." Of course, this organl-
cation embraced the usual humber OF
officers, the highest being Brigadier.
Section OF .he act provided for their
monthly pay, viz: The Brigadier,
S225.O0, which shall be bis full and en-
tire compensation, without rations, for
age, travelling expenses, or other per-
auisites or emoluments. except station
cry; to the adjntant and inspector of the
army, S3S, in addition TO his pay in the
lue; the paymaster of the army, Sl2O,
without any other emolument, except
stationery. To the aid de camp, in ad-
dition to his pay in the line, $50. To
each paymaster, $50. To each military
agent, SIC. Colonels, as. Lieu. Col.
500. Majors, $50. Surgeons, $40
Surgeons mate, $50. Captains, $40
Lieu,enants, $50 Second Lieut., S25.
Ensign, $40 Each cadet, $40. Each
sergeant-major, So; each SERGEANT, So
each corporal, ~; each teacher OF mu-
sic, S8; each musician, Sc; each artli-
Ger, $40, and TO each private S. pei
month. Sec. V fixes the rations. Sec.
VIII provides clothing. Sec. TX pro
vides for discharging supernumeraries.
Sec. XII provides for enlistment boun-
ty of SI2. The other sections of the
act provide in detail for the various du-
ties of an army at peace.
Thus, we see the Insignificant begin
ming which this monster Of oppression
has had; but as it is never within the
range of probability for the mind to
reach beyond the clear purposes OF an
act, So it was never thought or believed
that the army organization would rise
in power above tie constitutional limit
of subordiDation to the civil power; and
vet we have witnessed in the years OF
grace between 1865 and 1877, that the
U. S. Army, by the dictum of executive
usurpation, subjugated the civil power
of whole States-placlng sovereign
States under military surveillance, sim
ply to extend the power of office in the
hands of unprinc;pled fellows, whose
chief object seems TO have been to ac-
quire wealth on: of what they used as
booty. Hamilton said that power
over a mans substance amounted TO a
power over his will and how exactly
the army demonstrated the saying in
controlling the property of the South
no one will question. Does any one
suppose that the South would have ac.
quired in the preparation of the father
of all frauds by men with regulations OF
ebony, if their substance had not been
controlled by the army into compulsory
submission? Yet they did more; the
euce democratic South by prominent Of
her politicians even connlved at this
thing of seating a man in the frs,
Office of the Republic, thereby fixing
the precedent which will end this Re
public, wheu it shall cease to be.
AS in Pandora's box, there is hope
left; but hope is of two SORTS, that which
is based upon an active principle, aud
that which is mere sentiment. To make
the hope for republican perpetuity in
the States we must 90 back to first
principles. which are emphaticalIy the
le-establishing of the sOu.reigo'y cf ihe
STATES, not only in their civil capacity,
but by an organization of their militia,
as al integral part of the real grand
army of the republic, which presupposes
and requires an abandonment Of the
standing or regular army of the general
government; which is in fact but AN
affix OF monarchy, and not 10 harmony
with popular forms of government as
we have all learned 10 our sorrow for
the last sixteen years. But if a guard
is necessary to protect government prop
er,y, let it be merely rudimentary as the
act of 10Th of March, 1902, made it to
be, and not human machine without
voice set iu motion by one man 10 op-
press maDy. II the several STATES out
of their militia should constitute the
bulwark of the nation, no unpopular or
selfish scheme could ever grow into
such fearful magnitude as to destroy the
prosperity of the masses to promote the
wishes of the ambitious few, as has been
witnessed in the United States during
the past sixteen years of our national
degeneracy. Had State sovereignty
prevailed, we shoald have had upiuter-
rupied peace. There would have been
no secession, no war, and perhaps no
slavery by this time.v But-consoiidatiob
as spouse to coercion, With its great