Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-04-07

In an ultra-hasty fashion, Indicative Of
lack Of such elaboration as should be had
on an important topic, the esteemed Balti-
more American says that those who have
favored a National Guard to be uniformed
and equipped by the general government as
a supplement to the regular army, will not
find encouragement for their scheme in the
events transpiring in South Carolina" The
premises are defective; the conclusion out
Of accord with reason. 1t is true, as the
American says, that the South Carolina
volunteer forces have been demoralized and
disintegrated as though they had been over
taken by an earthquake and it is also true
that there was similar disorganization in
Kansas when Governor Lewelling tried to
be both governor and legislature, but the
conspicuous failures to which the American
directs attention are really arguments in
favor of the proposition condemned by our
Baltimore contemporary. Neither the Kan
sas nor the South Carolina militia were ever
anything more than loose-joinsed aggrega-
tons of ''tin-soldier' companies, lacking in
about everything they needed to be efficient
troops. The independent commands had
never been welded into a homogeneous
whole and were organized largely for social
reasons and without much thought as to
the possibilities of actual service. Few of
their officers had anything like a sense of
responsibility burdening them, and the
chances are that the men were entirely I'M
educated as to their duties as soldiers and
the nature of the relationship they bore to
the state. This weakness would not exist
or would be nIinimized to the utmost If the
troops were differed by men who realized
the importance of the oath that precedes
the commission, and such men would speed
lily come to the front were the national
guard of the country more nearly under the
tuition of the War Department. The Amer
lean calls attention to a well-known fact
when it says that the volunteer militia of
the United States was useless as an organ
lied body when the war broke out In 1884,
but 1t makes no note of the tremendous
strides taken by the troops in many states
during the past fifteen years. Peunsylva-
MIA, New York, Ohio, Illinois, Nebraska
Colorado and other states have had reason
to test their soldiers in times of trouble
and nowhere since the riots of lS77-after
which most of the recognizing was done
has any command been found wanting.
The old order OF things-the ancient mill
tia-has passed away in the states men
toned, and where once there was but little
else than fuss and feathers there is now
unquestionable efficiency. Until 1887, the
military forces Of the District of Columbia
were feeble and because they lacked organi-
zation, unreliable, but with the enactment
of the new militia law there sprang into
existence brigade of soldiers, Of all arms
of the service, that to-day in point of
efficiency is second to none on this CONT
nent. How things have gone in Maryland
the American probably knows all about
and if the state troops are no better there
than they were in 1S7T-a quite improbable
possibiity-that is but an additional reason
for the adoption of the plan to which the
American has hurriedly taken exception