The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-12-22
STATE TROOPS.
Proposed Reorganization of Bri.
gade Signal Corps.
Washington's soldiery-oficers' Banquet to
the Ccmmander-in-Chief- Fifth's
Buslers-EIections Ordered.

/
the Signal Corps of this State, since he pre-
scented plan for its reorganization to the
officers convention, which voted it down be-
cause 1t could not perceive any merit in it.
| The Lieutenant harps on the proposition
| That his plan has been referred to by those
| not eenyersant with the Signal Service as
| cum bersome and impracticable' notwith-
| standing the fact that the bill was drawn up
by signal officers who have had years of ex-
| perlenee with the corps" The only answer
to this is that it is evident that the officers
in question know more about the handling
OF signal corps than they do about drawing
| up bills.
| Admitting that signal corps is a valuable
auxiliary TO an army, that it cannot be COM
| pared with ether branches of the service. so
lar as instruction is concerned, and that the
corps Of the Second Brigade is in the matter
OF personal discipline and military bearing
The peer OF any organization in the n. G. c.,
1t VIII be conceded also that the best feature
of the proposed bill is the one that officers
snail have as prerequisite at least six
| months practical experience in the service.
whereas as the law now stands any one may
be, and signal officers are appointed regard
less of knowledge of military signaling.
Ihls Is also true of other officers of division,
brigade and regimental stats.
III is conceded also that the Signal Service
IN this State is in very anomalous copdi-
H., lon and reorganization is imperaiively de-
| manded. The champion insists hat Ii plan
| VIII reduce the number of officers. Techni-
cally he Is correct. but the reduction is small.
1t is declared that the State is provided with
Ut signal officers, most of them with no
dut les in sight" There is Colonel on the
division staff, Majors on as many brigade
staffs, and 10 First Lleutenants on as many
reglmental STATS maxim total II officers
Tor the 80 enlisted signal men. Signal corps
as now constituted are brigade detachments
| of 10 men for each regiment in its brigade.
There are four in existence. First Brigade
20 men. Second Brigade 40, Third and
Fourth brigades 10 each. so that at least
Two brigade signal officers Fifteenth and
oixteenthl are without corps and necessarily
without duties, three in the First, Third
ana Fourth with only nominal duties, be-
cause the regimental signal officers are sup
poseu 10 exercise command, besides two bat
| talon. and In the Second Brigade two regi
mental signal officers Qhird and fifth) WHO
are unknown quantities in the service. As
now constituted, brigade must have
regiment before it can have a corps of 10
by signal officers who have had years Of
experience with the corps" first provides as
held officers of the Signal Corps Colonel
and Major as next in rank.
AN INCONGRUOUS BATTALION
There is no Lieutenant Colonel for this
battalion created by the subsequent sec
ton, which, however. calls for an Adiutant
win the rank of Captain, appointed by the
Colonel The battalion will be composed
OF detaehments, organized one in each
brigade, not to exceed 10 men for every
| regiment or battalion in brigade, which
| would give two more detachments than now
| exist, provided, however, for some unknown
| reason that when there is only one sucn
regiment or battalion in brigade the de-
! tachmeut may number 20 men, so that the
| maximum enlisted force of the battalion
may be either $50 or 10. the Third, Fourth.
| FUN and Sixth brigadtS with their single
| regiments or battalions having the choice of
| 10 or 20 men. Why this leeway is granted
| Is not apparent
The several attachments are proposed to
| ne oIheered as follows: For 90 men, one
tHst Lieutenant $50 that with only Is men
| the third. Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Brigade
detachments might be without officers; for
| 80 men, one First and one Second Lieutenant
| (which applies at present solely to the First
Brigade with two regiments); for 45 men,
one captain, one First and one Second Lieu
tenant " hich does not apply to any brigade),
and Tor 90 men or more (Which applies SOLELY
| to the Second Brigade, which with tour
regiments may only have maximum of GO)
one CAPTAIN, tao First Lieutrnants and one
| second SEC Lieutenant, so that this battalion
| VIII have according to the bill, one Colonel.
one Major and an Adjutant (Captain) for
| its field, and one Captain, seven First Lien
| tenants and TWO Second Leutenants for line
oincers; total Is and reduction of only A.
but nowhere in the bill is anything said
| about doing away with brigade OF regimental
| signal officers, and for aught it contains the
| purpose may be to retain them, which would
give total OF 80 officers to ii maximum of
40 signalmen. 1t might be urged that the
| field officers of this battalion, with Colonel
In command and a Major as the next in
rank, and no Lieutenant Colonel is also an
anomaly; but what OF a battalion with /
| Captain as against First and Second Lien
tenants as line officers? The rules and reg
ulations. declare that for a battalion of or
companies minimum 100, or $50 men) a
MAJOR snail be the field officer; when of less
than companies ESQ minimum), but more
tian 3, Lieuteuant-COlOnel and Major:
when regiment mot less than companies),
Colonel, Lleutenant-Colonel and Major,
Yet for Signal Corps battalion whose
maximum force can only be 10 field officer
Is provided as high in rank as he who COM
manqs regiment, whose minimum company
membership Is 800 and the maximum Il
companies IN the First and Second) III, and
In the Third Is companies) S24. Why,
moreover, should 20 men in a Signal Corps
Tor q wo-eompany battalion In brigade be
the basis Of representation aud Is onIy for
regiments In brigade of one S-compauy,
two 1-company aud one 6-company regi-
ment! ana why should the two-company
battalion In one brigade have the same rep
another brigade? But what is the need to
further dlsscct this wonderful bill, "drawn
up By signal officers who have had years of
experience with the CORPSE"
WAsHINGToN'S NATIONAL. GUARD.
The new State, Washington. has now
real cute little National Guard to play with,
and the papers are coddling it and almost
killing 1t with kindness in the matter of com
pllmentaly notices. How it is regarded as
novel toy may he gathered from the military
column OF Seattle paper, in which are
given thirty paragraphs in which allusion is
made to twenty-six individuals, classified in
rank as follows: Generals 3, Colonies 8.
Lieutenan,-Colonel l, Captains 6, Lieuten-
ants Cncluding :" Master Lieutenant 5,
New York visiting guardsmen Crank un-
KNOWN ., citizen willing andanxious to hold
rank l, and a Mrs. Colonel" but nary
common ordinary private. Some Of the
items OF military news are worth reproduc-
ton:
A California militiaman asked In the Telegraph
last Monday If the staff OF the First Regiment
should have been mounted at The funeral of Gen
eral George ID. Hill. Answer-They we've mount.
ed. which is right and proper.
lie militia editor was led this week: Should
the Colonel have dismounted a the grave during
the fling? Answer-He did not dismount, which
| Is cOrreci.
The First Regiment Bard in its new uniform
Is a credit to The National Guard Of Washington.
Ii plays as well as 1t looks.
or all tlis orderlies and carriers In the city
Young Master Lieutenant Halnes takes the
prize. He held back the street-cars stopped Inc
moving throng saluted all his superior officers.
On the arrival OF The Tacoma companies he rode
w to his father the ColoueI and said: Colonel
Haines. Captain Fife and Captain Ganse with
Z and ID companies, have arrived from Tacoma.
They present their compliments and are ready
for further orders"
Lieutenant Colonel Scott says the First Regi.
ment VIII soon be The best on the Pacific Coast.
Prabably no lady in lie State takes more In
terest IN the First Regiment than Mrs. Colonel
J.. z. Haines. and the officers and men admire
her very much.
The speudld horse presented to Colonel j. Z.
Haines by the officers OF the First Regiment is
among the finest In the State and the colonel can
Well afford TO feel proud Of his steed.
MASTER Lieutenant Haines supports a horse Of
his own, presented 10 him by General A. z.
Curry OF Spokane Falls
W hen the regiment turns out all staff officers
should report Tor duty, as the staff for use ana
not for ornament. Fun aud feathers don't 20.
The boys like to see The plumes waving and the
hely steeds splashing mud along the streets.
The regiment band has been engaged to go to
1oygu ~ ba of Go on bnr