, 1889-08-01
MILITARY AFFAIRS.
Mr.. Grimtts Wants the Militia Left
to the Legislature.

The next article in order was the arti-
Gle on municipal Indebtedness, etc.
Durie said that Chairman Browne was
absent, and moved that it should be
passed informally. So ordered. The
next article was the report of the 9m-
mittoe on military affairs.
Prosser, chairman of the committee,
asked that IL lie over until tomorrow
unless special reasons exist for consider
ing IL to-day, but the convention re-
fused to pass it.
Bowen moved to go into committee of
the whole on the military article. So
voted, and the president called Mr..
Henry of Olympia TO the chair. The
article was read in full.
Mr. Griffitts moved that the entire ar
ticle be reported back to the convention
with recommendation that it do not
pass. He claimed that all except the
lirst section was wholly legislative, and
provided an elaborate militia system
which should not be in the constitu-
ton.
Kinnear opposed this motion.
think the duty of this convention is to
provide such militia system as will be
Of use to the state in times of trouble
that may easily be anticipated. This
committee as yet has not even consid-
cred the question. The state must have
militia, and it ought to be proirded
for in the constitution. A section for
creating soldiers home ought at least
TO be considered, for If there was any
duty owed it was TO old soldiers, who
made IL possible for us to have state at
all.
Turner hesitated on this point on ac-
count OF the distinguished regard he had
for the chairman OF the committee and
desired TO
DO NO DIscoURTEsy,
but since he was 80 sure that this was
all legislative he was constrained to ap-
prove this motion. He yielded to no
inane in love for the soldier, but to pro-
vide a soldiers home was purely leglsla-
tive and we had no right to assume that
this convention thought more of old
soldiers than the legislature
would. Too, much time was
being wasted here and he was getting
frequent intimations of that fact from
home one of which he read
Mr.. Jones was an ardent friend to the
militia, and recounted how difficult il
had been In past years to get the legisla-
ture to pass laws on this subject, hence
this convention should provide right
now In such manner as to insure an
efficient military system.
This motion was neither wise, Just nor
nor patriotic at this time.
Sullivan of Tacoma approved the
motion as being an intimation that the
military committee was useless, which
he did not believe. AS to the legisla-
ture, 1t seemed TO him that the conven-
tion was putting legislation in where 1t
ought TO be left out, and leaving 1t out
where it ought TO be put in. TO ad opt
this motion would come under the latter
head.
Cosgrove was learning more and more
every day of
THE INCONSISTENCIES OF MEN.
Here Is tho gentleman from Spokane
Falls (Grifiitts) arguing this measure for
the sacredness of the committees report
in order to KEEP God out of the constitu-
tion and now proposing to throw over
an entire report without even an ex-
animation. II this is merely legislation
look into IL and tell us where it Is and
not attempt TO dispose of this subject
without daring to face it. There Is a
niger In the wood pile, and / want him
pulled out where we can sec him.
Crowley believed in an efficient
militia system, and did not believe
in treating ccmmittee's report SO
unceremoniously. If he had not favored
militia before he would now, since the
scenec of this morning. for 1t might be-
come necessary to call it out 10 keep
peace even in this convention. Let US