Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-11-10
STATE VOLUNTEERS.
THEIR NUMBERS, LOCATION EQUIP
MENT, AND USEFULNESS.
,t,eb Information Conserving Them
Cleaned IN an Interview with Colo
mol 10. Lane Stern

mel 10. Lane Stern
A DisDa,ch man called at the law-oflice OF
Colonel Jo. Lane Stern. the Assistant In
spector-G General Of Virginia. yesterday and
asked him il he had finished the inspee-
tions of the volunteers for this year.
He REPLIED: Oh, yes. l have wound up
that lob and am now looking up law
pint " for the Circuit Court. l shall not
have any more inspections until next fall.
How many troops have wo IN Virginia,
CoIonel-would you mind telling me,
and where are they?
OUR TROOPS.
II is no harm TO tell you guess. al-
though my report has not yet been made
public. We have 2786 men and officers.
| There nrc 42 infantry companies, hatte-
RES of artillery, and 5 troops OF cavalry.
Ten of the infantry companies are coiored.
These ten companies number 5l6, leaving
| 2,270 white men.
These 81 COMPANIES are located through
ont the State a. follows: Twelve at Rich
mond, 5 at Petersburg, 5 at Norfolk, az
| Portsmouth, 3 at Lynchburg, at Staun,
| ton. 2 at Danyille, at Fredericksburg, ana
| I at each Of the following places: foca-
| houtas. Pulaski Roanoke. Chatham, Farm
| Vile. Blackstone. Suffolk. Smithhcld,
! HAMPTON, Charlottesville, Culpeper, Al
exandria, Winchester, Woodstock, Har-
risonburg, Manchester, Hanover. SuIry,
aud Prince George.
TRE COMPANIES.
The companies, said tho Colonel. average
81 men. The law proYides for small com,
panies. The idea 70 that 50 weIl-aTme q
| men can accomplish the probable
/ co of
| will be better TO have the companies much
scattered through the State than to have
large companies at few places, and the al
| lowance from the State and General Gov
eminent IS too small 10 provide large COM
panies and many OF them.
How much docs the State and General
Government allow 20 the volunteers per
annum!
FINANCIAL.
The State allows about S9,500per annum,
out Of which the last Legislature directed
taken. From this sum also are all tho ex-
penses. such as costs of inspections, travel
ling Of officers under orders, armorers
salary. books, papers, printing, postage,
| freichts. and great many little things tlat
are necessary for the good Of Jhs service.
so that Won see there Is not left over ~ ,JOO
10 divide among the troops, or aUout - OF
|
fins wear il would require about %1,OUO out
of the $4,000. 4 dozen pair OF gloves cost
| $3.50. SO you see there IS not much heip
from the State: Just about enough 70 pay
for the gloves the men wear.
GOVERNMENT ALLOWANCE.
The Federal Government allows about
$1,000 per annum TO this State, but not IN
money. lt has to be drawn IN stores. arms,
and other ordnancC-stOTes and III quarter
| master stores. and all this property not
expended. such as ammunition, remains
the property Of the General Government,
and has to be accounted for. THIS allow
ance o. 81 900 has been running Only
about three years-betOre that time IL was
only half that sum, and included oruIuuCe
stores only. This State does not need any
further ordnance-stores ut this time. ana
II is very probable that the Governor VIII
see his way 10 begin to make provision oui
OF the Government fund for at least Ia
tiguo uniform for the troops.
EQUIPMENT.
The volunteers, said the Colonel, have
all that IS necessary IN the way
of equipment except blankets and over
coats. il they were TO he sent into
service they would need cooking uten
sis. We have the came arms ana &c
coutroments as the United states army
and our uniforms are servlceapie, belh@ th'
same as that Of the army. except the coIol
of the dress coat. The State has the gray
coat, instead Of the blue worn IN the army
PERSONAL EXPENSES.
About how much does each man have e
spend out Of his pocket to meet MS hece9
! sarv expenses as q volunteer!
Well. that is hard 10 get at exactly, bu'
the captains of companies tell me tnat TEL
dollars a wear per man r. the very least th"'
! can supply the articles necessary, ant
| which they do not get from the state o.
| the Federal Government. Ihat MAKE
80. sg5 more than they receive from tu'
State.
What is that spent for?
That is spent IN uniforms, cleaning UNI
forms. cleaning and repa ung arms ana zoe
coutrementq, Gas, fuel, armOrY rent ins0h'
places. and many little things they hn'
/ necessary from time TO time TO keep 1heA
selves in decent shape and clean enough L
be looked At.
Then YOU think the State doesn't do al
! she should for Der military.
| Well. no, she does not. The legislature
heretofore haven't thought they cc1ld d'
any better than they have done, and yol
know they made no appropriation az "a,
| until five wears ago. The fellows gust sol
! diored for the lOvcof duty and 40 Their owl
/ expense, go far as the State was concerned
from 1871 until 1854.
THU HTMTDY.
Have you thought Of any remedy to
this?
Yes: it isn't new idea Assuming tina
| the Legislature viii not give any more thai
at present. sum sufficient to meet thes'
expenses might be raised by a slight taxa
ton on the men who are subject 10 mn
tarv duty but who do not perform any. II
I .y~aaY,fe l4aft T., ln "A hardship q llftN L.
be taxed twenty-five cents year for th'
military if he doesn't want to enlist HIM
self and let il 90 to those who do serve
assuming Of course that the military ls
necessity; and believe that has been con
ceded by every soldier and tmnsng MAJ
from George Washington down to the pres
ent time, and has been asserted IN me Con
stitution OF the State ana the 0nlIco S ,l 81
! and in the Bll of Rights. Inc pollicd
parties would be afraid 70 tax anybody any
! thing-they would be afraid OF the othe
marty at the next electiOn-but 1t seems u
me that the Legislature might al least an
thoriZe the cities aud counties where ther'
, are military organizations TO pass sqch AZ
assessment. and let the councils and board
take the responsibility Tor the t&Xalloh
The people would uphold them, thlhA',
The cities and counties, ought TO nllA
provision for armOTlcS, and II the Govern
inent-the Federal Government, mean
, would make provision for putting one maj
of the volunteers into camp each yea,
could DO done for about $40 per man. IN
camp ought to last for a week at least, b
. run on strictly military principles and b
under the supervision of army oihceT'
Thore are about 100000 volunteers IN tn
several States, and the Government woul'
DO doing very little to allow SO per an
mum for each soldier.
Irish superstitions.
, IChamberss Journal
Tho railway has annihilated more thai
distance in the west of Ireland: Ealrie
and ghosts have vanished as rapidly as !
they had been put to fight with a witch witch
wand. II would seem that truth IS lndee
, stranger than fiction and tue marvellous ]
expelled by the more marvellous. Doubt
less the steam-engine, with its train OF car car
, riages and wagons, dashing across tn
country in its headlong speed has fer SUI
passed anything coniured up by the mos
extravaganza Celtic imagination. BE tina
IL. rftIh tfffl