Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-03-06
OUR COUNTRY's DEFENDERS.
"A Weil-Regulated Militia Necessary to
the Security of n Free state.

a Weil-Regulated Militia Necessary tt
| the Security of Free state.
| THE ORIGIN OF TIE MTIITI.-wHY THE GOVERN
| NESr SHOULD MAKE LIBERAL APPaoPR1A
TIoSs-wHAT TIE MILITIA SHOULD BE-aD
| MANAGES or A CAMP OF OBSTRUCTION.
| The last issue of the Cosmopolitan contain:
| an interesting article ON the subject of The
: Militia by Caps Daniel ". Taylor of the
ordnance department. of the army. The writer
Is very well and ayoral!y known in this city
having resided here during tie carly part of his
life, besides being on duty at the War depart
ment for several years past in the Office of the
| Secretary OF War. lie mas made the subject
OF the national guard forces of the country
one Of especial study and it is mainly through
his efforts. supported by the approval of The
| adju;nnt general and the Secretary OF War,
that this important branch OF the country'f
defenders has grown to its present efficient
condition. This article is about the first of its
kind that has fallen from his pen, presenting a
| concise but comprehensive review o! tie sub
| ject and showing the evolution and develop
ment OF the militia soldier in this country from
colonial times to the present
ORIGIN OF THE MILITIA.
Capt Taylor shows that "a early as 1890
Gen. Knox, then Secretary of War. submitted
to Congress plan for the organization of the
militia, which had for Its prominent features
provisions requiring the general government
to furnish arms, equipments and uniforms and
to bear all the expenses OF camps OF instruction
III which portions of the militia were 20 be an
nually assembled" This project produced q
law enacted in 1892. which is practically the
same that on our statute books today Capt.
1aylors remark that the existing militia law is
an absurdlty is explained when ne remarks IN
another portion of his artcle:.'When we reflect
that another section requires the enrolling III
the militia, with very few exceptions. of every
able-bodied male citizen who is of the age of
eighteen Yeas and under thc age of forty-five
years. and that the present e-tmatcd number
OF such citizens is IF2 49,. IT Is not difficult to
see why the militia thus called for is today as
nOn-ex-stent as the equipments and organiza-
tons prescribed for i: in the laws governing it
are obsolete"
RESPONSIBILITIES OF TIE GOVERNMENT.
At later point in the course of the article
the writer says: 1T will be seen that Knox s
idea of having the United States furnish arms,
uniforms and equipments is today being car
ried out to a limited extent the present annual
appropriation of 500. 900 being altogether in
adequate to the purpose, and that his idea of
the United States paying the expenses of the
camps OF instruction. as well as the creation OF
the Office of adjutant general of the militia.
are seeds which have not yet terminated. As a
result while our peOp!eure naturally among the
most military IN existence. we have as a grand
total for the militia about l06. 900 men. and this
includes good. bad and indifferent and. while
the efficiency of the militia Is undoubtedly
rapidly increasing. 1t is not to
be thought that we could gather. in
the event of sudden necessity. more than
$4,000 for immediate service. And this with a
population of over 60, GO0,000!' In foot note
is this comment: 1T is estimated by a WELL
informed writer in the Fortnightly Review that
France can put 100000 men in the field in six
days. and 1t is understood that NJ. de Freycinet
proposes to so multiply the railway lines lead
ing toward the German frontier to throw
400, 900 men on that frontier within forty-eigh
hours. The English intelligence department
estimates that Germany can have 2 0S2. 67S men
on the march to the French frontier in ten DAYS
from the giving of the order for mobilization.
These figures show the Importance attached
by these governments to promptitude in getting
the first troops into the field.
GOOD RESULTS OF LIBERALITY.
within one year from the time when the
present more liberal law went into effect" con-
tinues Capt. Taylor, 1.-The active, organized
uniformed militia increased by nearly ten
Thousand and there would appear to be no
reason to doubt that further iberallty on the
part of the general government would be fol-
lowed by equally good results. The state of
New York pays annually for her militia about
the same amount as the general government
approprlates for the militia of all the states and
territories. In view of the facts that our little
regular army is scattered to render 1t useless
for immediate work; that the dominion of Can
ada has militia force OF about so 600 along
our northern frontier; that the home garrisons
Of Great Britain could be thrown on the shores
OF Lake Ontario IN less than fortnight and
an army of her veteran troops from India to
Winnipeg in a little over a month: that Great
Britain has over hundred war vessels whose
draught will allow them to pass the st. Law
renee system OF canals to the great lakes,
where the majesty of our naval power is repre-
scented by
ONE VESSEL OF AN ASTIoUATED TYPE,
and that-as Col Maurice of tine royal artillery
has shown-in modern warfare it is the rule for
actual hostilities TO precede a declaration of
war; in view of all this is it not the part of
wisdom for the general government. to encour-
age by liberal appropriations and all other
means possible such increase of the volunteer
militia VIII render it certain tina. when the
call to arms shall sound 1T least 100000 well
armed. thoroughly equipped, well disciplined
and similarly uniformed members of the ma
t;onal guard Will step into ranks within twenty
four hours to form the first line OF defense?
With our material resources aud population
| there WlI be no dlthcuItF granting time be al
| lowed for the purpOse) i'll organizing armies
whose numbers shall mount into the millions.
but that i, may be done II isimperativelv reees-
sary that We have 4 first line of defense. and
for this at least 100000 men are needed II ia
not safe 10 count on more than so per cent of
the total militia force being available AZ one.
and, therefore. the national safety demands i'm
peratively that
Our NATIONAL GUARD SHOULD NUMBER zoe 0G0
1.-The states are already bearing as heavy bur
dens on this account as they can stand and the
general goyernmen tmust make liberal appropri-
atoms in order that the desired results may be
attained. 1t is essential for the proper organ
iZatiOn o. this force that there be an adjutant
general OF the militia. Scott and TAYLOR saw
this in 1925. and TIE conditions of the problem
in this respec; have not changed i'll the years
that have INTERVIEWED
THE CAMP OF DESTRUCTION.
The necessity for camps of instruction, as
shown by Knox in 1870. still exists and 1t is too
| much to expect of the states that they shall
| bear all the expenses of these camps, whose
real junction is 10 prepare the national
| guardsman for duties which he will never
| probably assume until he has ceased to be a
| national guardsman and become soldier Of
| the United States. 1t is only reasonable there
/ fore. that the cost of these camps be provided