The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1880-05-11
Tuesday, May IL. 1880.
OUR MILITIA AND THAT OF
OUR NEIGHBOUR.

In the May number CT Harpr's Mag
asine, Col II II Boies has an excellent
article on the need of an efficient mil
tia. He says that the primary object
to each State in sustaining its Guard
is the possession OF power by which
its laws may be enforced. social order
maintained. and the safety ard pros
peIity OF the. commonwealth assured
against the sudden violence Of popular
factions. Mobs, riots, and instructions
have always. in every age and nation,
ct times dsfied government; and under
republican form. where the citizen
enjoys the greatest liberty, they are
most frequent aud dangerous. The
terrible shock which the country re-
ceived from the labor riots Of 1877.
which cost rs doubtless over fifty mil
lions Of dollars by the complete para
lysisof business in all departments OF in.
dustry for the time they lasted, and the
feeling Of insecurity which followed, to
soy nothing OF the millions actually de-
stroyed. is too recent and too deeply
impressed on our minds to require
reference to historical incidents. At
such time the Executive must have
at bis command a force capable Of
asserting and maintaining his authority
instantly and unequivocaliy. The wis
dom aud statssmanship of New York
in preparing for such trial at her
leisure were triumphantly approved by
tie result Although the lteeming
slums of her metropolis were in ferment.
and her great arteries Of trade throb-
bling with excitement, she was able to
take the insurrection by the throat,
with no thought Of crying 10 the Pres.
ident for help, aud IN three days. with
ont the destruction Of property. and
with the loss Of but single life. to
suppress an uprising which cost the
people of Pennsylvania more than one
hundred lives and five millions Of.
property destroyed. For such On
emergency the military force 10 essen.
tial; aud that its action may be prompt
and effectual, its organization should
exist wherever the danger threatens,
under the immediate command of the
chief civil authority of thu State. fhe
city population of the country had
already in 1870 increased to 20.S per
ccnt. Of the whole from the 8 9 per cent.
at which it stood in 1909.
In case of q foreign war, which almost
always involves nation suddenly, and
generally unexpectedly, the National
Guard is new our only means Of pro.
viding Q temporary defense until an
army can be enlisted, organized. and
instructed. Our Legislators seem to
ignore the fact that railroads, steam
ships, telegraphs. aud science have
revolutionized modern warfare no less
than they have manufactures, CON-
merce, aud civilization. There can be
no more "thirty years wars," Tho
possibilities Of rapid concentration, with
the whole world for base of supply,
and tho terribly destructive inventions
OF the last few years. have placed in
the control 0f the nation which is best
prepared to utilize them, which has
officers and men trained. skillful, aud
disciplined, an almost invincibls DO y.
or. before which mum bers and wealth
aad ths ordiaary elements of national
strength may BE- swept away like chad.
rhtie is no longer time now Tor gath
er'ng and organizing after the storm
shall have burst upon our coasts; not
even the Atlantic 10 hpoad snopgh to
afford US opportunity to prepare sue
cessiul resistance to q military powes.
Ii an efficient National Guard was
necessary in the time. OF JsfIsrsoh.s or
when the British ravaged our coasts.
aud 3i0O Of them destroyed our capital,
It is thousand times more al today,
and the need growsmorr pressing each
year. n
In an article written about tile same
time. the New York Herald gives us a
few interesting stAtcments concerning
the military strength Of Canada, which
IS not to DO despised shen Supported
BY the military and naval power Of
Great Britain. The Herald SAYS the
Dominion has six huadred thousand
enrolled militia; that forty three thoo-
sand three hundred aud sixty-fve Of
these are armed. organized and drilled;
she 70 very strong in garrison and field
artillery. and has great abundance Of
cavalry. that her militia is 80 organised
that fourteen thousaud new men comc
IN every year for three years drill, aud
that the same number pAsssout every
year TO Increase the list Of enrolled
militia whe have received instruction
aud training and would be Immediate
y available in the sudden emergency.
This Is greater force than could be
put at once into the tield by our State,
which border on the Dominion. Our
regular army Is 50 small and the bulk
OF 1t 10 Ut such distance in the west
ern Territories that il would be of little
use in q contest with Canada. Troops
could DO sent over from Great Britain
more rapidly than our regular army
could be recruited. Thsre Is populss
notion that in case of war We could
make complete conquest Of Gam ada Ia
single month; hut it might NOT prove
90 easy . task. :,
In ole aspect this expos,tion of the
military strength of Canada l. ~ 49,.