The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-03-17
MILITIA OF THE UNITED STATES.

Cost of Maintaining Soldiers at Home and
Abroad-The Governments Proportion.
The annual return of the militia for
1890, gives the strength of the "unorgan-
ized' force as Z, 69l, 9S1, says the Century
for February. This is a mere census sta
tistic. and is the number of able bodied
men liable to military duty. In some
States it is determined by actual enroll
ment, aud in others it is estimated.
The organized militia numbers los. GA,
or 5000 officers n 100, 200 men. The
average attendance at camps, as reported
by the Adjutants Generals of States, varies
from IS to 95 per cent, but In some of the
States in the South and West there is no
provisions for armories or encampments.
and the troops have not yet attained such
organization or instruction in military
duties AS to make them valuable in an
emergency. The armed force of the States
which can be relied upon Is therefore
probably between 10, 900 and $4,000 men.
The total force is distributed as follows
In the States of Massachusetts,, Con-
~necticut, New York, New Jersey and
Pennsylvania, available for prompt
Boston and Harrisburg "a, 800
In the other Atlantic States, from
Maine to Virginia. II, 400
In the States along the lakes and upper
Mississippi available for prompt con-
centration in Chicago, st. Louis or
other central cities. %, 100
In the South ........ 20, 800
In the ..... T,105
ON the Pacific Coast. ......... 7.700
100, 600
THE ANNUAL COST.
The annual cost of maintaining the
United States army is about 81 1000 per
man. The armies of Europe cost from
about $3.50 per man Gin England) to $125
per man (in Russia). The organized
of which the general government con-
tributes one-siXth and the States five
sixths. Officers and men give their SER
vices free Except a nominal pay while In
camp. and contribute for uniforms.
travelling expenses and other purposes
an amour which probably exceeds the
amount paid by the States.
COMPARATIVE EXPENSES.
1t will be noticed that the Southern
States spend less for their militia than
they receive from the general govern-
ment; while in the west the government
contribution is only about one-third of the
total cost, i'll the Central States about
ope-fifth, in certain Eastern States one
sixth, and on the Pacific coast and in the
vicinity of New York the States pay four
teen times as much as the General Gov
eminent. This proportion is even greater
in New York, for the cost of constructing
expensive armories is not included in the
expenditures given In that State, whereas
in other States the cost of renting armor-
les is included as part of the expenses of
maintaining the force. The largest eX-
peuoiture In proportion to population in
any State Is in Connecticut, where it is
neerly fifteen cents per inhabitant. In
some Of the Southern State no appropri-
alton is made.
OF the total force about $1,000 are infan-
try, $500 artillery and 1900 cavalry.
About oDe-half of the force in New Mex
leo and in South Carolina is cavalry, and
the proportion of this arm in all the
Southern States is much greater than in
the Northern. In many States there is no
cavalry organization, and in New York,
with a force of II. 900 men, there is only
one troop of cavalry. OF artillery there
are in the various States about sixty bat
teries. usually of four guns each. A few
Of the batteries have the new 80
second steel breech loading gun. and
many of them have gatlings, but most of
the guns in the bands of the militia are
the twelve FOUNDER brass Napoleons, or
the three inch iron rifles of 1863. In adj
dition to the guns with the batteries,
there is at nearly every State arsenal a
miscellaneous collection of old guns of
various ages, most of which it would be
dangerous TO use with pcojectiles.