The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-25
GENERAL WILLIAM T. SHERMAN.
His Views Concerning the Military Necessi-
ties of the United States.

NEW YORK. Dec 24-The military institution
at Governors Island was at it's best to-day. A
large gathering of heavily-clad gentlemen met to
listen to General William Tecumseh Sherman.
General Hancock presided The audience was
one which it was not necessary to call to order.
General Sherman, in the course of his address
upon "The Military Necessities of the United
States" said:
Whenever approach any matter necessitat-
ing labor and study, l shrink from it, feeling
disposed to claim all the advantages of retire
ment, and certain that we may safely leave the
future in the hands of the bright youth we see
daily growing up around us. Every age pro.
duces its own workers. and the experience of
mankind is that the agents of former epoch are
rarely adapted to modern uses. am convinced
by actual experience that habit is a more valua-
bic quality than what is called courage. Take
100 of the bravest men, unaccustonel to the
confusion of battle; march them up to a breast
work, and they will break and drop to the
ground sooner than would 100 average men of
the regular army that have become accustomed
to obey the commands, fall inf forward and
so forth On this simple rule of habit rests the
existence of the regular army To
day in this grand republic all parties
agree that it is becoming the settled policy of
our government to maintain the smallest kind
of rgular army, more as a school for instruct
ion than for actual service. This army, in case
of INVASION must be supplemented by militia,
inasmuch as militia is the physical force on
which the chief magistrate of the Nation must
mainly depend for the execution of his nigh Office
1t therefore becomes our duty as soldiers
and citizens to aid, as far we may, to mold
the militia so that it may be made vau-
able when called into active service. There
has been bill introduced in Congress by Gen
eral III. w. Slocum the passage of which would
be long stride in the direction Of change. The
whole bill substantially repeats the old, anti
quated system of militia devised by our Revolu-
tionary fathers and substitutes new one
far better adapted to our modern eX-
perience. While enrolling all men subject
TO military duty, it leaves the great mass at
home and segregates a smaller number to full
fill the purposes Of our Constitutional be pre-
pared, armed, equipped and accoutered-and pro-
poses to appropriate for this purpose the annual
sum of ST, 600, 900. Again, instead of 700 men for
each member and delegate in Congress,
| could suggest more convenient
and better understood battaion-one Of
and minimum of fifty men for each company
The total number of congressional districts and
Territories is now about 800. This will give
1920 companies, 100 regiments of twelve com
panies each, aggregating a maximum of $780,
900 and a minimum of 666 000-a force amply
sufficient for the possibilities of the case Taking
this lesser number and assuming the
cost of each militiaman to be 500
per annum-aud that is large
assumption believe it will make the aggre-
gate cost So, 300. 900. 1 would divide the sum
equally between the United States. the States,
and the communities in which any company
battalion or regiment resides. Nearly all the
officers who compose this institute can recall
our experience with new regiments as
they came to us raw and Impractical,
and how soon, by association, they became expe-
rience1 soldiers. The bill proposed win aid the
States to make one uniform system throughout
the United States believe there is no more
important subject to-day before this institute
than that of assisting in perfecting the militia,
and bringing it into more cordial intercourse with
theregular army and people of the United States