Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1892-09-29
GEN. PECK'S ANNUAL REPORT
or the Nerm MT National Guard-Its
lt'g 'c's and Needs.

OF the Nerm Mt National Guard-Its
It,p ,css and Needs.
The report Of T. s. Peck, adjutaut and
Inspector of the state of Vermont, for the
year 1872, is Just published, and shows
the organization to be in a prosperous CON
dition. But with this prosperity there also
exists many conditions which call for fur
Their Improvement. Below we give some of
the ideas embodied in the report:
The National Guard of Vermont, as
shown by the annual returns for the year
ending Juno 80, 1892, consists of "a officers
and 1852 enlisted men, organized as three
battalion regiment of infantry, and four
gun battery of light artillery. The troops
are well armed and uniformed, and are sup
piled with camp equipage, except knapsacks
and clothing bags. The state owns no
wagons or ambulances, which Is a deficiency
that should be at once renedied
Gen. Peck believes that aside from the or
iginal objects IN maintaining the National
Guard; in view, also, oil the exposed position
we occupy on the frontier authority should
be given for increasing our present forces
by at least an additional battalion of infau-
Try and one company of cavalry.
Although Vermont is an inland State, 1t
borders on waters that have been, and pos
sibly may be again, the scene of fierce naval
encounters. 1t would therefore, seem very
fitting that authority he given for the or
gani2aton of q small battalion for service
on Lake Champlain, provided tho general
| government should be willing to render the
Same assistance in the way of facilities for
drill, that are extended to the battaions OF
the coast States
| The condition of the troops now enroll
ed is generally satisfactory, but there is a
| still higher standard of discipline and ETH
cheney which may be reached by prouer en-
couragemeut aud support on the part of the
! State. The most urgent need, ct The pres
ent time, is more thorough education of
| officers in all the duties that would dcvolve
upon them il the event of their being call
! ed into actual service. The material is gem
orally good, but the Inducements offered are
not such as to call forth their best efforts
The pay of officers should be increased to an
amount corresponding to their rank, rs is
the case in other States, and they should
! then be required to pass a satisfactory ex-
animation before commissions are issued TO
| them.
Gen. Peck recommends that retired list
| be created, and that commissioned officers,
| who have served as such for not Tess than -
| years, may be placed thereon at their own
! request, or by direction OF a retiring board
| with the privilege of being borne on the ros-
! ter as SO retired and of wearing the uniform
OF their rank on all official occasions.
He also recommends that all retired OIL
GERS and ali enlisted men who have faith
fully served for q period of 10 years and
have been honorably discharged from the
| SERVICE shall thereafter be exempt from
serving on juries the same as members Of
| the active militia now are.
The annual inspections have not found
| the arms and equipments in as good condi-
| ton as could lie desired: but this is as q
general thing, owing to the fact that many
of the armOries furnished the companies are
unsuitable for the stora e or such property
by reason of being damp and unventlated.
! Company armorers should lie employed and
| paid reasonable yearly sum for keeping
the arms aud other State property in good
order a all times.
Tie progress made in target practice
has been less than it would have been were
it not that most of the companies arc pro
vided with ranges for short distances only.
The results achieved however lnlicut,
that, with proper facilities many of the
men could readily qualify as marksmen anl
sharpshooters.
The report shows a careful study Of cl
the work Of the guard, and the suggestions
if carried ont, will help make this militia
! sill greater credit TO the State.