River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-01-01
Our Military Necessity.

New York, Dec 24-The military institution
at Governors Island was at its best to-day.
large gathering of heavily clad gentlemen
met 10 listen to Gen. William Tecumseh Sher-
man. Gen. Hancock presided The audience
was one which it was not necessary to call to
order. Gen. Sherman in the course of an ad-
dress upon the military necessity of the United
States, said:
When 1 approach any matter necessitating
labor and study shrink from it feeling disposed
to claim all the advantages of retirement and
certain that we may safely leave the future In
the hands of the bright youth we see daily
growing up around Every age produces
its own workers, and the experience of man
kind is that agents of a former epoch are rarely
adopted toImodern uses. [ am convinced by
actual experience that habit is a more valuable
quality than what is called courage. lake
hundred of the brayest men unaccustomed to
the confusion of battle, march them up to
breast 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 command, FAN
in, forward" and SO forth On this
simple rule of habits 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 govern
nlent to maintain the smallest kind of regu-
lar army, more as a school for instruction than
for actual service The arIay in eases of in
asmuch as the militia Is physical force on
which the chief magistrate Of the nation rnJIst
mainly depend for the execution of his high
office 1t therefore becomss our duty as sol
dlers and citizens to aid, o far as we may, to
mold that militia into form in which ii may
be made valuable when called into active ser
vice There has been a bill introduced IN
congress by Gen. H w. Slocum, the passage of
which would be great stride in that direction
of change. The whole bill substantially repeats
the old antIquated system of militia devised by
our revolutionary fathers, and substitutes a new
one far better adapted to our modern experience.
| While enrolling all man subject to military du-
ty. it leaves the great mass at home and segre-
gates smaller number to fulfil the purposes of
our eonstitution--tOb be prepared, armed, equip
ped and accOutred-and proposes for this pur-
pose an annual sum of $600,OOa Again,
instead of 700 men for each member and
delegate in congress, | would suggest a moro
convenient and better understood battalion Of
four companies OF a maximum of 100 and min
imum of 80 men for each company The total
number of congressional districts and terrific
ries is now about 800. This will give 1,;e0
companies to 100 regiments of of II companies
each, aggregating maximum of l32, 600 and
a minimum of ct, GOO, a force amply sufficient
! for all possibilities Taking this lesser number
and assuming the cost Of each militia man to
be $50 per annum land that is largo assump-
ton, I beleve), it viii make the aggregate cost
| 50, 300, COO [ would divide the sum equally bs-
! tween the United States, states or communities
in which any company, battalion or regiment
resides Nearly all OF the officers who compose
this institution can recall our experience with
new regiments as they came to Ms, raw and un-
practiced, and how soon, By as Sciau0n, thsy
became experienced soldiers. I'll bill pro-
proposed will aid the states to make one uni
! form system throughout the United S1ates- l
believe there is no more important subject TO-
day before this institution than that of assist
ing in perfectng the militia and in bringing il
into more cordial intercourse with the regular
army and the people of the United States