The morning call., 1894-08-01
JUSTICE FOR MlLITIAMEN.

Members Of The militia who responded
to the call for troops and were for three
weeks out OF town on military duty at Sac
ramento and Oakland have been discharged
by their employers ana are now out OF
employment 1t is said that 100 militia
men have so Jared. These unfortunate
fellows have been punished for perform
ing the highest duty of a citizen, namely:
for taking the field at the order of the Gov
ernOr to defend life and property and to
uphold the laws. Precisely the same
thing has occurred al Chicago. The First
Illinois Regiment was called out by Gov
ernor Altgeld, and out Of a roster of 85S
members 638 responded to the call. They
we're three weeks in the field, and sue
ceeded in putting down riots wherever they
were sent without losing a man or taking
a life. By way of reward for this splen-
did record 100 of the S3S men who served
have lost their jobs aud are now looking
for work and 100 more have been warned
that their services may be dispensed with.
1t is wasting words to say that this is all
wrong. If militiaman must not only put
life and limb in jeopardy when the State
requires his services, but must be pre-
,
well, sensible young men will decline to
join the militia and our citizen soldiery, of
which we have been so proud, will become
a thing of the past. The militia is body
of volunteers. No one need enlist unless
he chooses. Why should any one enlist
with no other prospect but hard knocks,
poor food, exposure, criticism and the
grand bounce when duty is fulfilled
There would be some consolation if the
volunteer militiamen were handled by
soldiers when they were in the field; but
our poor fellows who were sent to Sacra-
ment found on arrival that neither quar-
ters nor commissariat had been provided
and they ley down to sleep where they
were, hungry, tired and demoTaliZed by
want Of confidence in their commanders.
The incident raises the question whether
the militia system has not outlived its USE
fulness except as a nucleus for aVolunteer
organization to be filed up in a case Of
war. In ordinary time of peace. its bene-
fits are rather imaginary than real. We
have in the United States an enrolled
force of 102.912 commissioned officers and
men scattered over the whole country
from Maine to Arizona, and subject to the
independent of the others. Except In New
York and Pennsylvania, it would be diff
cult to concentrate al any point force
sufficient to overawe a formidable mob.
Yet, when disturbances occur, Governors
call out the militia in their respective
States, and expect the rank and file to frs
OF their friends and relatives at the word
of command. We know so little of the
military art that we actually expect VOL
uDteer force to act against people among
whom it has been raised. Then again,
until martial law has been declared, it is
always matter of dispute where the su-
preme command lodges when the armed
force consists Of regulars and militiamen.
After the trou bles in Pennsylvania in
1877 that State remodeled its militia law
and made it as good as circumstances
allow. Il is Illegal IN Pennsylvania for an
employer to discharge an employe on
account of his absence from duty in the
service of the State. and the mobilization
of the militia is so arranged that regi-
ment is never assigned to duty in county
where the rank and file are likely to have
friends and relations. But it is just as
well that civilians should understand
what military men all know that mobs Of
large dimensions are not readily SUP
pressed by militia. The men are always
to be tampered with. The only force
which can deal with a substantial Insured
ton is a regularly enlisted body of troops,
who know no allegiance but to their fac
and who are swayed by nothing but the
commands of their superior officers. The
deal soldier does not think; his ofileer;