Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-07-17
OUR CITIZEN soLDIsRY.


citizen soldiery of the United States. he
knew only that great standing army
would be antagonistic to the existence OF
true republic, but he failed to give due
weight to the constitutional provision
which declares that ga well-regulated
" militia Is necessary to the security OF
free State. Those who believe with
him have not estimated at their true value
the words of Washington, who pro
nounced the militia of the country to
be the palladium of our security. The
fathers were not unnaindful of the besetting
dangers of the new nation, and foresaw IN
the right of the people to keep and bear
arms, and in the placing of the military on
a regular, uniform and efficient footing, the
safeguard against threatening evils, or, as
Hamilton put it, g the militia is the most
"natural defense OF free country;" and
as Jefferson framed it .sfor people who
care free, and mean to remain SO, a well
organized and armed militia is their best
Security
1t is not beyond logical reasoning to
trace many of the recent troubles to the
neglect into which the militia system had
fallen. 1t is certain that at the time OF
the outbreak of the rebellion 1t was in
sad state 1t was but little better at the
time of the railroad riots at the East, when
the organized militia of Pennsylvania
proved broken reed. It is true, how
ever, that the efficiency of the militia in
the State of New York enabled that Com
monwealth to throttle riot at the outset,
and choke lawlessness into respect for lie
and property The Pennsylvania riots,
and the disturbances in San Francisco in
July, 1871 awakened the people to the
fact that by neglecting the militia sys-
TEN they had invited assault from the
unruly elements. The present awakening
dates back to those events, when the great
loss of life at Plttsburg, and the destruc-
ton of S., 600, 900 worth of property there,
under the loose-ended militia system, COM
pared to the peace maintained by the eff
Gent citizen soldiery Of New York, made.
contrast SO glazing that it would not be
overlooked
The Constitution OF the United States
gives the Government express power " to
provide fer organizing, armiDg and dis
"ciplining the militia" The first Con-
gressional Act was that of 1892, when
training days were named, and the citi-
zen was required to provide himself "
with musket, firelock or rife, bayonet,
aint and powder, and annually go out on
the green and learn, in an hour or two, the
art of war. In 1908 $500, 600 per year was
set aside to be divided among the States
for the equipment of the militia, and the
appropriation has stood at that figure ever
since, though our population is now eight
times greater. The States have added IN
significant sums to this figure, and leglsla-
tors have too often fallen into the con-
temptible habit OF sneering at carpet
"soldiers, and of joining in the cry Of the
| ignorant, who underrate the value of the
militia man, and forget, if ever they knew,
that in him lies the strength of the Govern
ment But it is evident that we have
come upon better days, that the people
think rightly upon the subject now, and
that the self-sacrifce and devotion OF the
sunny.day soldier is valued at its true
worth, and that is figure of which both
he and his country may feel proud. The
militia of the nation has been its salvation.
The citizen soldier has been the guardian
of our liberties, and the people now recog-
nize the necessity of giving the Executive
at all times disciplined force capable of
asserting and maintaining his authority at
a moments notice They recognize that
raw levies in event of a foreign or an inter
necine war are poor reliances, and that
to the disciplined national guard we
must turn in such emergencies for protec-
ton, until the enrolled militia can be called
into the field, for in these days wars have
no long prefaees, and come like thunder
bolts from clear sky. Soldiers are not the
making of an hour, and the nation does not
forget that it cost it much precious blood
and vast treasures to make efficient soldiers
even of the most patriotic volunteers in the
late war.
1t is, then, interesting to glance at the
National Guard of this State and its condi-
ton. And first the record discloses under
our examination that the Guard in Califor-
MIA has within a few years taken rapid adj
vance strides, and has attained higher
plane OF excellence than the most sanguine
could have anticipated. Under the late
and the present administrations, and
notably and chiefly under that of Gov
ernor Perkins, the National Guard
has received greater aid and encourage.
ment than in all the previous years. The
last two Legislatures have done much in
the way of making our system conform to
approved as among the very best extant.
The last Legislature, however, went further
than any, and made appropriations and
passed laws which tend to make the Ma
tional Guard of California most efficient.
But the Legislature has not been alone in
the work. The citizens of San Francisco,
for instance, have contributed over $50, 900
to the uniforming and equipping of the
militia, and the Government of the United
States has enabled it to be armed with the
newest and most approved weapons. The
people of California in many sections have
also been liberal, and have aided in placing
the militia on a respectable footing, and
this because they recognize the necessity
for it's existence; that it is part of the
system OF the republic, and as much to be