Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-11-03
OUR MILITIA SYSTEM.

summary OF the annual report of Gen.
Stephen V. Benet, chief of the ordnance
bureau, has been published. He devotes q
large space to the discussion of the subject
of recognizing our militia force. He calls
attention to the fact that in but few of the
States of the Union is the militia thoroughly
organized, while in many States there is ab-
solutely no force whatever. That Congress
has the full power to provide for organizing
militia in time of peace, under the provisions
of the constitution, he says, there can be no
doubt, and Congress has exercised this power
in obsolete and 1neagre laws now on our
statute books. But there has been no prac-
tical means provided for enforcing obedience
to these laws. Everything is left to the dis
sxetion of individual States.
While we recognize the Importance of the
militia system, and believe it to be one of
the safeguards of the people, we regard the
regulation of the matter as outside of the
province of Congress. Among the powers
delegated to Congress by the constitution is
''To provide for organizing, arning, and
disciplining the militia, and for governing
such part of them as may be employed in
the service of the United States, reserving
to the States respectively the appointment
of the officers, and the authority of training
the militia according to the discipline pre-
scribed by Congress-" This simply gives to
Congress the power to authorize the States
to take such means as may be necessary for
the organization of the militia, and to govern
only such as may be employed in the service
of the United States. It is evidently the
purpose of Gen. Benet, however, to place
the entire control of the militia in the hands
of Congress or the federal authorities, and
thus to increase the power of the central
government. This plan will no doubt find
supporters. especially among those in Con-
gress who believe this is nation with big
NJ and not confederation, but the slight
est glance onght to be sufficient to convince
everyone that it will be dangerous expert
nent to try, and likely to prove subversive
of the government.
A well-regulated militia is an excellent
thing in any State. It is useful az train
ing school in the manual of arms; it is fire.
quently useful for the purpose of suppress
ing riots and domestic violence ; it is useful
in case of war by afording to the govern
ment well-traincd army at short notice
But the States should retain absolute control
of their militia at all times save in the con-
tingency of general war, which is not like
L, * IN for
come. The States should receive aid from
Congress, as Gen. Benet suggests, by pro-
viding that arms and equipments will not
be issued to a State except in pro-
portion to its properly enrolled and organ
lied active militia, and that per diem for
camp services shall be paid to those in.
dividuals only who are present in camp, and
only for the days that they are present and
actually employed. This aid would be but
a just return for the security afforded to the
general government by the maintenance of
an efficient militia organization. But the
government of the militia, except in case of
their being called into the federal service,
must be left in the hands of the State govern
ments.
We are inclined, however, to advocate
postponement of consideration of the subject
for time. The existing laws are sufficient
for the time being, and if called to the at
tention of the legislature of the several
States, would receive due attention. There
are other questions of more Importance. The
present tendency towards Capitalization