The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1878-12-11
THE STANDING ARMY oUES
IION
increasing the Military EstabIisH.
Iment of aIle &asa aes
LETTER FROM GEN. d. H. MAURY

LETTER FROM GEN. d. H. MAURY
10 the Editor ofthe Daily News:
IN Thursday, the 18th inst a m Getting wa,
I "a ia Rlrhmond OF the Alumni OF tn,
'HSihIa Military Instit1te aud of officer:
vi foIiihteers TO consider the best means OF
Ieuuclng the expenditures OF the sraudinn
army oil the United states. of Dromoiin,r H.
encIehey of the volunteers and militia n
the States, and OF securing a better system
Oh edacatIon through the national aud state
| military academies
"A committee Was appointed to cond slider
ana report upon the best plan for accom-
pushing the objects in view-and on Tues-
uay, the lZth, at called N citing reported
| tnat the following memorial should be senr
70 our representatives in Congress and mat
Iht Coo operation of the other States should
be invited in accomplishing the desired re-
form.
The report of the committee, with The
memorial, was unanim eusy adopted by
the meeting.
The memorial sets forth:
mat the present condition of the militia
OF virginia IS Inefficient and Inadequate to
restrain disorder or insurrection wi mia the
state, to repel invasions, or To meet the
intention If the fathers of the reoublic
when they provided that the war purposes
OF the nation should be accom- pished by
the militia of the States
Ihat the whole armed force of Virginia
now consists OF about twenty com pauies of
them remote from each other b ably
equipped aud disciplined. and dependent
upon leIr own personal resources for their
precarlous maintenance.
Ihat the small amounts annually appro-
prlated To the use of the State militia is in
sufficient to supply more than three or four
Companies with arms, and that tor want o :
arms many com anies are now delay lag
organization aud that many of the other
Sta eS of this Union are in no bett r condi-
ton in Oh Sc resp ct han Virginia.
That the annual disbursements Tor the
maintenance of tie militia OF the States are
no greater now than they were ninety years
ago, when We were only eight or zine mil
lions of peoples 5000 per annum to Virgin
la)WhIle the Standing army Oh the Uni ed
States has continually increased in force and
in cost until it has become a fearful burden
upon our heavily taxed people.
That in 1916 our regular army of Is reg
iments about 5000 electives, was fonnd suf-
hcIent to enable us To conquer Mexico and
keep the Indians quiet-thaE after the ac
QUESTION of California, Arizona and New
Mexico the four regiments which were al
ded for the increased necessities OF the en-
igrants on our frontier were sufficient To
meet the increased demand for troops. BuG
that on the close of the war between tn.
states the policy OF the government called
Tor "a greatly increased regular army
so as not merely to guard the from
tiers and sci coast but also to police
system of the nation has driftel away from
the principles on which iC was established
by the wise founders of our government,
and has abandoned the scheme of an mex
pensive and efficient citizen soldiery for that
of costly regular army under the direct
orders OF the President of the United
States.
The attention of Congress having been
earnestly directed to the reform of these
evils, your memOrialists pray that such
FNHnn Ir7as ma hn "a Enn in UnI iSTn
may seem best to foster the militia of the
State and to give such aid in money and
supplies to the State governments as viii
enable them to maintain the State troops in
an efficient condition to meet the military
req uirements of the nation. And in fur
therauce of this object we pray that pro-
vision shall be made for enabling the Off
GERS OF the State forces to be instructed in
the schools for cavalry, artillery and in
fantry. which are or may be established for
the officers of the United States army.
[Signedl DABNEY ii. MAURY
Chairman of Committee, and others.