Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1892-06-03
NATIONAL MILITIA.
HOW THE OLD SYSTEM GAVE WAY
TO STATE VOLUNTEERS.

mon In Every Part of the Country.
A hundred years have passed since con-
gress, in the spring OF 1902, passed its first
general militia law. This act remains to-
day on the statute book. with all its an
cient phraseology, and its mandates are i'm
possible to execute. Still nominally in force
is its injunction upon any ablebodied male
citizen between eighteen and forty-five
years of age, enrolled by his captain, to
keep himself provided with good mus
ket or iirelock, Of bore sufficient for balls
OF the eighteenth part of a pound" two
spare Hints and twenty-four cartridges, or
else with "a good rifle, shot pouch, powder
horn, twenty balls and a quarter of a
pound Of powder" The quaint instruc-
tions for grenadiers and mbardiers are
still TO be perused, and also the directions
TO commissioned officers to provide them
selves with "a sword or hanger and spon-
toon," or, IL mounted to have their "hol-
sters covered with bcarskin caps" From
time to time efforts have been made to re-
move this venerable chapter from the
statute books, or at least to modernize it,
until now, at last it seems to derive a sort
of protection from its age.
But the fact is that the law was never
carried out. No sooner was it enacted
than efforts were made to repeal some pro-
visions and amend others Under the plan
of General Knox, which had been drawn
up In 100, young men between eighteen
and twenty-one years Of age were to serve
thirty days in camp Of instruction dur
ing each Of the first two years and ten days
Of the third year; citizens between twenty
one and forty -tive years were to drill four
days annually, those between forty-fve
and sixty were to be enrolled in the re-
serve, which was to assemble semiannual-
ly for n simple inspection of arms.
This was a very striking, and, under the
circumstances of the country at that time,
not a very onerous system, while its seri-
BUSINESS was shown by provision that no
person reaching the age of twenty-one
should exercise the rights of a citizen I'M
less he could show a certificate OF the re-
quired service in the militia. But the act
of Mays, l792 widely departed from Knox's
plan, and the very next year after it was
put in operation Washington asked con-
gress whether your own experience in the
several states has not detected some i'm
projections in the scheme" The story of
the way in which numerous and fruitless
attempts to amend this system resulted at
length in its frank abandonment is in
structive and interesting.
Two years after its adoption bill was
reported for organizing select corps of
militia, to be armed and equipped by the
general government and to be paid while
serving in annual camps Of instruction.
This of course would have been radical
departure from the general law, which re-
quired the citizens to arm and equip them
a ~ Ill IL
ing. 1t is not unlikely that, had this
measure prevailed, it would have been in
force TO the present day, and might have
made vast difference in the history of
the country Il would, in fact. have found
ed a national militia Of an effective char
acter. However, years passed without
securing the notifications desired. The
chief step gained was the enactment Of the
law Of April %, 1908, making an appropri-
alton Of 100000 annually to provide arms
and equipments for the militia. 1t is noted
as curious fact by the house committee
on militia, whose careful history of the
subject is here briefly summarized, that
even when this new appropriation had been
made the old requirement that each citizen
should arm and equip himself was not re-
pealed. Even then the reluctance to re-
move the old law was manifest.
Jefferson and Madison followed Wash
ington in urging year after year a modif-
cation Of the militia system; the latter in
1906 desired such "a separation of the more
active part from that which is less so, that
we may draw from it, when necessary, an
efficient corps, lit for real and active serv-
ice, and to be called to it in regular rota-
ton" He thought that it was quite
enough to subject the population between
eighteen and twenty-six years Of age to
military duty in time of peace. Madison's
most noticeable contribution to the subject
was a proposal Of annual camps of instruc-
tion for the commissioned and noncommis-
stoned officers
In 1916 Secretary Graham by the direc-
ton of congress, prepared a new plan. 1t
divided the militia into three classes, &C
cording to ages, of which the two younger
were to assemble in annual camps Of in
struction. Congressman Harrison, of Ohio,
afterward president, proposed as substi-
tute military drill for all the schools, and
revived Madsons plan Of annually in
structing officers and noncommissioned
officers in camp. He estimated that the
cost to the government would be 81 500, 600
a year. In 1925 a board, on which Scott
and Zachary Taylor were prominent, re-
pOtech hh"e bhe BItdJ ueleCb IN Jne law was
the excess of numbers it held to service
They suggested "a a substitute brigade
Of militia in each congress district, to be
instructed in camps for ten days each year
and paid for their time and expenses.
The drift toward a select body instead of
general organization had thus been
clearly manifest through all these years;
yet two additional elements, volunteering
and state ORGANIZATIONS ware neadad ha-
fore the desired reforms could be secured.
jackson recommended the former, while
Secretary Poinsett in 1910 made an ap.
proach to the latter by proposal Of 100,-
600 active militia, apportioned among the
states, each Of which could keep its quota
filled either by voluntary enlistment or
draft One-fourth would go out Of service
annually into the reserve, while the presi-
dent could put them into camps under pay
for a month annually In 1916 still another
plan was reported, that of maintaining in