St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-12-25
MILITARY NECESSITY.
Gen. Sherman's Speech at Governors
Island Before the Military
Institution.

NEW YORK, Dec. 24.-Tbe military in
stitution at Governors Island was at its
best yesterday. A large gathering of gentle
men met to listen to Gen. Vim. Tecum-
sch Sherman. Gen. Hancock presided
The audience was one which II was not dec
essary to call TO order. Gen. Sherman, ia the
course Of his address upon the military neces-
sty of the United States, said:
"When / approach any matter necessitat-
ing labor and study ! shrink from it, feeling
disposed to claim all 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
produces its own workers, and the expert
ence OF mankind is that the agents of the
former epoch are rarely adapted TO modern
uses. / am convinced by actual experience
habit is more valuable qualify than what is
called courage. Take a hundred Of
the bravest men, unaccustumed 10
the confusion Of battle, march them
up to breast work and they will break and
drop to the ground sooner than would a
hundred average men of the regular army
that have been accustomed 10 obey the COM
mand OF fall in, forward, etc. On this sim
pie rule of habit rests the existence OF the
regular army today in tlis grand Re-
public. Ali parties agree it is be-
coming the settled policy Of our
government to maintain the smallest
kind OF q regular army, more as a school for
instruction than for actual service. This
army, in case Of invasion, must be supple
mented by militia, inasmuch as militia is the
physical force on which the chief magistrate
OF nation must mainly depend for the
execution of his high Office II,
therefore, becomes our duty as
soldiers and citizens to aid as far as we may
to mould that militia into the form in which
it may be made valuable when called into
active service. There has been a bill intro
duced in congress by Gen. II. w Sloeum,
the passage of which would be long stride
in the direction OF q change. The
whole bill substantially repeats the old,
antiouated system Of militia, devised by
our revolutionary fathers, and substitutes a
new one far better adapted TO our modern
experience. While enrolling all men subject
10 military duty, It leaves the great mass al
home, and segregates the smaller NUN Der 10
fulfill the purposes of our constilu-
tion-to be prepared, armed, equip
ped, and accout-red-and proposes
for this purpose an annual sum Of 5000, 600.
Again, instead OF 700 men for each membrr
and delegate in congress, could suggest
more convenient aud better understood bat
TALON of four companies OF a mailman OF
100 aud a minimum oi fifty
men for each company. The total
number of congress districts and
territories is now about 800 men. This will
give !, 1920 com panies TO 100 regiments OF
twelve companies each, aggregating a max
imum of 1, 1920, 900 and minimum OF 66. 900;
force amply sufficient for the possibilities.
Taking this lesser number and assuming the
cost of each militia man to so per annum,
and that is large assumption / believe,
1t viii make an aggregate cost
of So, 300, 900. ! would divide the sum equally
between the United States, states of com
munities in which any company, battalion
or regiment resides. Nearly all officers who
comprise this institution can recall our
experience with new regiments as they came
to Us, raw and unpractised, and how
soon by association they became experienced
soldiers. The bill proposed will aid the
states to make one uniform system through
out the United States. 81 believe" said the
general, in conclusion, "there is no more
important subject to-day before this iustitu-
ton than that of assisting in perfeeting the
militia, and in bringing it into more cor
dial intercourse with the regular army and
people of the United States.'