Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-08-19
A NATIONAL MILITIA.


A NATIONAL MILITIA.
Some Pertinent Reflections and Suggestions
by an Army On,cer.
THE PRESENT STATUS OF THE VARIOUS STATE
oUAHDs-wHAr MIGHT OCCUR IN CASE OF A
wAR-A JUST coPARTNHRsHIP BETWEEN THE
GENIAL aovERSMESr AND THE STATES.
Now that Homestead and Buffalo and Tennes-
see labor troubles have brought the militia
question into extraordinary prominence some
OF the suggestions made some time ago by Lieut.
r. X. Evans, U.S.A., may be worth considering.
He argues for a national militia. The Consti-
tuition" says he, 'fully recognizes the vital i'm
portance Of the subject Of q nstional militia and
invests Congress with ample powers to enact
the necessary laws. In 1892 Congress passed q
militia act, which is today the militia law Of the
United States. Under its provisions must be
drilled and trained, if they to be trained &C.
cording to law the 1000 900 Of able bodied cit
liens between the ages Of eighteen and forty
five. who are to form the reserve to our little
regular army.
Through the neglect Of Congress the whole
nation is left without a practical militia law,
hence the individual states are left to their own
devices in providing reinforcement to their
various municipal police forces. This police re-
serve is measure Of necessity merely as an
additional insurance on life and property where
dense population exists in proximity to vast
accumulations Of wealth.
WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN.
'For all the purposes for which IL was in
tended it would be difficult, without . vast in
crease Of expenditure, to devise a more reliable
or perfect organization than the New York state
Rnt xShev To lpcL
organizations from q national standpoint they
present very different appearance In fact
they do not exist at all SO far as the United
States is concerned. Let us suppose, by way
of illustration, that Congress, acting within its
constitutional powers. declares war and calls
out the militia, and that the President then
makes requisition on the governor, say, Of New
York for q certain number Of militiamen. OF
course tho only militia which he has q right to
call TOR are the national miltia-those existing
by reason Of and in accordance with the Consti-
tuition and the act of 1892. The governor might
truthfully reply that there was not a single
national militiaman in his state, that the men
at his disposal were the state guards
organized and maintained by acts Of
its legislature, and that. as they
were not the product Of any national legisla-
ton, he did not recognize the right of the
President of the United States to make requi-
sition for them. This would be very temper
ate and civil response for a governor to make
compared with some recorded in our hi story.
The Presidents only recourse then would be to
issue calls for volunteers. He might get them
and he might not depending on whether or
not his war WAS popular in that state. Thus it
is evident that even the small number Of mil
itia in our country who are drilled and disci-
plined are entirely beyond the control Of the
President in time Of war. or course the indi-
viduals composing the state armies are at lib
erty to assist the President in his war, provided
the governors do not interfere to prevent them.
But there have been several instances where
governors have SO interfered. In short, the
citizens accept or decline the invitation to at
tend the war, as best pleases them. When
everything in the nation is staked on the
chances Of battle. the President Of sixty mil
lions Of people should not be an issuer Of invi-
tations, but Of orders.
GOVERNMENT MILITARY TRAINING.
"Of late years there has been growing and
manifest desire on the part Of the government
to disseminate military instruction among the
into two parts: First, how shall the requisite
number Of men be disciplined and drilled; Sec
ond, how shall the government be guaranteed
that in time Of need it can command the serv-
ices OF the identical men upon whom it has
spent its time and money. The government
would not be justified in arming and drilling
men and yet leaving the matter in such shape
that when it called for soldiers the state COVER
nors could give it their raw recruits or none at
all, at their pleasure which would be the state
Of affairs should it spend money on the so-called
national guards o. they now stand. In short,
A and B to be soldiers should have the power
Of insuring itself that when it asks for soldiers
in an emergency it should get A and B, whom
it has trained. and not C and D, who are ig-
norant Of q soldiers business.
WHAT SHOULD BE DONE.
ITO attain this end, there is no more simple
and practical method than to pursue our great
national precedent Of o subsidy; but always
having 1t clearly understood and fully admitted
by all concerned that the government reserves
the right to command, at any time, the services
Of the identical men whom 1t has trained. Next,
let us establish a standard militiaman, and Ak
the price to be paid for him. On looking the
world over you will find that there is no COM
modify in its markets whose price varies SO
much as that Of the soldier. "A soldier costs
Germany. per year, 5000; France, $685. Eng
land, $405; the United States, $3.50. These
figures represent the cost of regular soldiers
whose entire time is devoted to the armies. In
our own country, New York, which has the
largest and perhaps the best state guard, pays
annually per man, about $35. All things con-
sidered. the United States government could
well afford to pay annually, per man, $50 for
standard United States miiitiamen In this
whose military instruction it saw fit to provide
by inserting corresponding sum in the yearly
appropriation bill. 1t could train q, 600 men
for 81 900 900, 40 200 for $4,000, 900, and 10 on
according to the varying need of the country.
"The dual allegiance which every CITIZEN
owes the general and state government should
be recognized The militia would be entirely
under the control Of the state for local pur-
poses, except at such time as Congress might
call them forth for the national defense. The
states would furnish the men and the nation
would pay the cost The general government,
being the major power, should claim the right
Of precedence in commanding their services
A more just and equal copartnership cannot be
devised. 1t is constitutional, rational and
practicable. and were it adopted by the states
generally it would have the effect Of rendering
the state national guards constitutional and
legal, which at present they are not"
Miss Tiers' Funeral.
The funeral Of Miss Mary Tiers will take place
from the residence of Mrs. Tiers, 1441 Rhode
Y~l~