Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-04-23
OF THE MANY CHAR AND CONVINCING

| OF THE MANY CLEAR AND CONVINCING
arguments recently made In behalf OF military
| training for citisens aens have been more for
chile aud none arc mote truly worthy of con-
sidcration than the ossay Of Lieut.. Joseph H..
Bachelor, IT., twpnty-tourth United States in
! faniry. Lieut. Bachelor pleads for an army
worthy OF the country comprehensive and
| effective organization Of the National Guard
The prophets are dead" he says, without
heirs Tho inheritance of their powers Is
falsely claimed by those who delude the people
with dreams Of universal peace
When the war drum throhs longer and the battle
In the parliament man, the federation of the world
But with five great wars in the last forty
years wo need not look for the speedy coming
of any such millennium. The day of champions
and paladins is over. No modern Samson will
arise to judge the people and slay thousand
OF our foes with the jswbone of an ass though
the Same weapon welded by partisans in a war
fare of words may leave us naked for q sterner
war. and thus send tens of thousands of our
brethren to death. Victories will still be won
by heroes. but by heroes directing their united
efforts IN the paths which laborious training
has taught them TO follow"
AsUPPosED NATIONAL ARMY
With this exordium he proceeds to give the
sources of danger from war, with its iikeli-
hood. and what it might cost us, without
proper preparation, to be involved in war with
one of the great powers. Then he proposes
the organization OF National Guard to be ef-
fectively instructed. both officers and men. He
supposes that national army might be con-
stituted of 100000 infantry $4,000 companies).
10000 cavalry 600 troops) and $4,000 artillery
1900 batteries), the annual expense of subsidy
being SO. 4se, 900. apart from the arms supplied.
The grand total for regimental camps target
practice. military works for instruction of Of
Ulcers and men he estimates at u grand total
OF Sl4 $4,000 per annum, an average OF 80. 20
per man.
Each of her soldiers annually costs Ger
many about S2l0; Austria $3.50; France, S2i2;
England, S37l. and the United States about
Sl,OOO. while the state of New York's expenses
for each member OF her little army is about S35
per year. plan which would give trained
soldiers for S30.30 each, or tor twice that
amount. Is worth considering. What will neg
lect COST Nothing. If VIC could shield our
selves from danger by shutting our eyes to it,
or by receiving every warning with obstinate
denial. Nothing If we could strike terror to
our enemies by the juggling of our gold or
braggadoclo speeches. But the one allures and
the other does not deter. Nothing if we could
count forever Oh the continuance of honorable
peace. Much II We accept the records OF his
tory and the experience of every age and OF
every nation. Man has been fighting since the
days OF Cain. Before ever he wrought metal
he Clipped Is dagger out of flint to STAY his fell
low. Wax will come, and if it finds US in our
present posture, We must pay millions of money
to purchase a short and shameful peace.
TIE EXPENDITURE PROPOSED.
"The expenditure here proposed would be
per cen. on the sum appropriated by the last
Congress for pensions. 1t would be less than
2 per cent ON the bountes of the war; perhaps
cent the which mtphf he
forced from New York alone, under penalty OF
destructlon; less than three-tenths of l per
cent OF the booty which a victorious enemy
might wiring from the nation; less than three
hundredths OF per cent on the present value
of the property II would protect, and less than
per cent of the additional cost of war,
which, finding US unprepared, should never
theless leave us victorious There is economy
IN preparation. We might hope that universal
peace might come of universal arbitration if
the arbitrators could have jurisdiction and
power to enforce their DEGREES. If we could
md a court where nations might sue; where
neither mistake nor corruption could enter:
where more than earthly wisdom could render
exact and infallibe justice; where more than
earthly power could secure peaceabie jurisdlc-
ton over sovereign states who acknowledge no
superior on earth. then war might cease for
ever, and perfect law commeasure perfect
freedom Until then the trial must be by Or
deal OF battle, and .We the people of the
SAitcu ctdtOs, Will NC maj luUgee, unuer
God. of our right among nations. of whether We
are wronSed and how we shall be righted."
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE QUESTION.
In conclusion Lieut.. Bachelor says: "The
question is not of military, nor even of ma
tionai. vainglory, but one which touches every
interest that can animate the human breast;
all ages. both sexes, all classes and all condi-
tlons. PREPARATION not for aggression, but for
defense, is counseled by the past and de-
manded by the future Our coantry's destiny
Is not yet accomplished. The splendor OF her
past is but the twilight of her future As in
the years gone by the oppressed of the world
found refuge on her shores, from those shores,
in years to come, the spirit of freedom must
spread. while she stands the protector, not the
oppressor, OF free America. With such an
army, In and OF the people, respect abroad. the
need of strength we'll ruled and Justly exer-
cised shall protect her citizens in every land
and on every sea. while tranquility at home
shall prove the eternal truth OF the saying of
old, The citizen soldier is the true safeguard
OF the liberties of the republic"
GOOD WORK 1.-THE SECOND"
II the second regiment fails to pile up a big
annual record or turns out but few good shots
this season it will be difficult to locate the
blame. Never was more energy DISPLAYED in
the department of rifle practice and never was
there more gratifying promise of results. Gal
lery matches have kept the interest wide awake
and will continue to do SO until outdoor range
practice commences. Every day adds testi-
mony to the value of the gallery work; every
day men are becoming accustomed to the rife
who would never otherwise be effective SOL
diers. Many a valuable man is graduated from
the gallery who would never have graduated
at all if he had been required to commence
operations on the range.
The final stage Of the match for the second
regiment trophy resulted in most excellent
exhibition OF Workmanship. Teams from the
fourth and sixth battalions competed, and
although Lieut.. Farabee's aggregation did not
succeed in capturing the trophy, yet it made
Lieut. Vale and his men imagine that some-
body was making things uncomfortabiy warm.
THE sixth BATTALION WON.
Scores were as follows:
Fourth acknowledgements 90; DeGroot
80; Tribby, SO; McAnally, So; Carroll, Sc; Plant,
"a; Ratcliff, SO: Gilbert, SO. Total, $50.
Sixth battalion-Goodwin, 90; Salmon, 90;
Phillips 50, Kirk, SO; Page, SO; King, 81;
McClain, 70; Smith. II. Total, 6S9
Scores for the entire match are as follows:
e. 81 81 81 s ,si.
Sixth battalion. 1874 342 339 $50 1856