The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-01-14
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
sAvANNARs PROTEST AGAINST
THE TEREE YEARS ENLISTMENT.


Senator Hawley's Bill to Deprive
Those States OF Their Quota OF the
Government Appropriation Which
Do Not Enforce the ReRulation-An-
other Move on the Part of the Gen
ersl Government to Secure Control
OF the State Militia-The National
Guard Bill
The state militia or state troops, some
times called the national guard, seem to be
attracting a good deal Of attention from the
present congress. and that Of q kind not
specially relished by those composing the
national guard.
Savannah is interested in everything per-
tanning TO the volunteer military, having a
greater number Of these organizations than
any city Of its size in the south.
Senator Hawley Of Connecticut has ip-
troduced q bin in the Senate to compel a
three years enlistment of all the members
OF the volunteer forces, and providing that
each state that does not enforce this regu-
lation shall be deprived OF its quota of the
annual fund appropriated by the general
government for the armament OF the state
| troops.
the move is meeting with great opposi.
tion upon the part Of tue military officers of
this section, and steps are being taken to
| express their disapprobation to their repre-
| seBtatives in congress-
| IL has been found hard enough as il is to
ENFORCE the state regulation requiring one
| years enlistment OF all mem bers Of the
| states forces, and 20 attempt to require a
three years enlistment, it is held, would
completely destroy the present state organ
| izations.
| SAVANNAH OFFICERS PROTEST.
A meeting Of the company commanders
OF the city was called by Col Mercer the
ranking officer of the Savannah military, at
his office, to consider Senator Hawley's bill,
and to take steps to oppose it. A commit
tee, consisting of Col. Mercer, chairman;
Col. w. w. Gordon of the Fifth Georgia
cavalry, Capt. w. W. Williamson of the
Savannah Volunteer Guards, Capt Beirne
Gordon OF the Georgia Hussars, Capt. John
Flannery OF the First Georgia regiment
and Lieut.. j. +. Saussy OF the Chatham
Artillery, was appointed to consider the
measure and report, the report to be for
| Warded TO the representative in congress
from this district and the senators from
this state The committee will oppose the
| bill in their report for the reasons named.
| Another measure which has excited the
opp sition OF the state military is bill in
| troduced into the Senate by Senator Proc
| tor or Vermont to place the state troops
| under the control of the President of the
United States, making them subject to his
| call for the opposition OF any foreign in
vasion or the suppression of any riot or IN
| ternecine disturbance. If this bill should
become law the President could order all
the troops from Savannah or from Georgia
| for that matter into South Carolina OF any
other state on the grounds OF riot or other
disturbance existing there. In this way the
militia Of this state might be used to OPP
| press the people of friendly state or this
state might be weakened at a critical
moment by the withdrawal of its military
| 10 distant state.
TO CONTROL TIRE STATE TROOPS.
Col Mercer regards this as a move upon
| the part OF the general government to
| secure control of the state militia and to
take its control out Of the hands OF the
| states. de is thoroughly opposed to this
bill aud SO are all the military officers Of
| Savannah who have examined the bill
| Still another measure which has excited
the apprehension of the friends of the state
| troops elsewhere is a bill introduced into
the Senate by Senator Chandler intended
to strike at the PinkeTtons and other SIM
liar organizations. The bill also makes
illegal all independent military orpanixa-
tions not authorized by the national or
state governments. The language of the
| iii Is:
THAT 1t shall be unlawful for any body
OF men numbering ten or more, any Of
whom are subject to enrolment as @ part of
the militia Of any state or Of the United
States, to assemble or drill or bear arms as
military squad, company, battalion or
other military organization, unless they are
called forth by some civil or military officer
| lawfully authorized to make such CALI
1t is not thought by those who have ex-
amlned the law that it is meant to affect
existing military organizations under state
authority, but the bill is not regarded as
sufficiently explicit in its terms.
Lieut. Col. Peter Reilly. who 10 one Of the
best posted military officers in the city on
matters OF this character, said yesterday
that the Chandler bill cannot affect state
troops, as they are organized under the law
aud constitution of the separate states as
provided for by the constitution of the
United States.
MUST BIZ UNDER STATE AUTHORITY.
Military organizations independent Of
state authority are prohibited by law in
Georgia" said Col Reilly. mo armed and
Uniformed organization Is allowed to parade
the streets OF any town or city unless it has
been recognized by the state. Military
organizations have no existence in Georgia
until they are authorized by the state"
This provision was included in the milf
tary bill introduced in the legislature by
Col. Reilly in 1884, which became law,
There is no such thing as a national
guard, strictly speaking, in this country, !"
said Col. Reilly. THE New York state
troops are organized under the name of the
State National Guard Of New York, the
Massachusetts troops are entitled to the
name OF Massachusetts State Militia aud the
proper title of the Georgia troops is Georgia
Volunteers.
The general government appropriates
100000 annually for furnishing arms, am
munitlon aud accouterments to the militia,
which Is divided among the different states
according to population. AS the general
government would have to rely upon the
state troops to fill it's armies in case Of war
an appropriation five tunes as large as at
present would not be too much"