St. Paul daily globe., 1891-06-10
SAINT PAUL.
DIsBANDING THE THIRD.
National Guardsman's Views
UpOn the Subject

n NdIlOndl OuafOSn1dn 8 views
Upon the Subject.
Yesterday reporter of the GLOBE
fell into conversation with an intelli-
gent member of the national guard, and
from him succeeded in extracting the
following interesting talk:
''The talk of disbanding the Third
regiment. unless the companies desire
to be disbanded, is nonsense. The gov
ernor has no more right under the law
to disband a regiment than he has to
create one; neither can he assign two of
the companies of the Third to each of
the other two regiments. The statutes
provide that the national guard, so far
as Infantry is concerned, shall consist of
three regiments of not more than ten
nor less than eight companies each.
In the regular establishment, the
regiments of infantry consist Of ten
companies, and not of eight, as has been
misstated. Two of the companies of each
regiment are SkeletoniZed, consisting of
officers only, making practically but
eight companies to each regiment.
Should the Third be disbanded no
portion of the $4,000 now used to de-
fray its expenses could be used for
either of the other regiments, as the ap-
preparation of $4,000 was made for the
Third specifically. That is, no portion
could be used under the law. But
Mullen may rise superior to a common,
ordinary statute and. as last year, before
the election for governor, he sent into
camp at Lake City, with the Third regi-
ment. company of about fifty men
from Spring Valley. which company at
that time was not in the national guard
at all, paid them per diem of so cents.
hQClhnS n G inr f6nr,a tror, rfnfi fiDt,
to and from camp, he probably thinks
he has the right to handle the national
guard and its appropriations to suit his
own sweet will.
'Do L think the Third regiment
trouble was caused by politics?
Most surely, as the most influential
man among the friends of the man
Bates, who demanded that he be rein
stated in general orders. was Senator
John Day Smith. who will be member
OF our next legislature, which will elect
United States senator, and in the face
of fact so significant, the sacrifice of
few national guard officers. more or
less, or a regiment If need be, did not
count.
''Do believe the adjutant general at
fault in the present matter?
81 certainly do. but think it is prob
ably more his misfortune than his fault
L believe him unfit for the office he
holds on account of lack of ability. He
Is so completely enveloped in the idea
OF his own Importance, SO utterly ego
tlstical, that he seems not to have dis
cernment enough to even know that he
is being made fun of. OF course,
| admit he is badly handicapped in
having succeeded Gen. Seely, who
conducted the Office of adjutant gen
eral, so far as the National guard was
concerned, i'll manner perfectly salts
factory. A man thoroughly familiar
with customs of the service and en-
tant general, and was respected by
every member of the guard. We all
knew him as courteous and brave Off
Ger, so modest that it is almost imrossi-
ble to induce him to speak of his per-
sonal adventures during the war. The
number of times he has received shon-
orable mention in orders as published
in the records of the rebellion speak
for him more emphatically than any
words of his own could possibly do.
'Gen. Mullen may have been brave
officer. 1t is stated that he told a man
ufacturing jeweler of this city from
whom he was ordering a gold badge to
commemorate the following event,
SioiAHii * IL W NC q utpllCulO Vi OilG ilG
had lost-that at one time dur
ing fight, when defeat stared
them in the face, he rushed
up behind the wavering line and shout
ing, What in HI are we here for?'
changed the aspect OF the battle to one
of victory. The above strong words
are, believe, beautifully engraved on
the reverse of the badge. No mention
of this event, SO far as know, appears
IN the published records. | have also
heard him spoken of as Rally Round
the Flag Mullen and Fighting Jack
Mullen" but whatever the truth may
be concerning his bravery, the official
mantle of Gen. Seely has unquestion-
ably proven many sizes too large for the
present adjutant general"
Later in the evening Col. Wright was
seen, but he declined to be interviewed,
remarking that ''he had said in the past
all that he felt called upon to say; that
the ght was over so far as he was con-
cerned."