Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1894-04-18
NkIIONAL GUARD on WEST EIRGINIA.
A Plea for BETTER Paw for the Volunteer
Soldiers Of the state. as the Best Means
20 Enforce discipline and Make Their
work affective.


70 Enforce Discipline and Make Their
work affective.
ANsrED, w. VA, April 16.
70 ne Efif0r OF tss Rsg,s,ss:
SB:-Few citizens, especially those
in the rural districts, realize the slender
thread upon which the law is upheld
By the civil authorities in mining
State like West Virginia, where all
natianalities and classes are messed 10
enforced idleAess, suffering and siarva-
ton.
a perfect citizen may suffer the pangs
Of hunger In his own stomach and yet
keep the law, but the best Of US will
not quietly watch q wife aud children
suffering for bread and dying from
starvation. In such cases II the saCri
fee OF life would afford even temporary
relief, a man would be justified by both
moral and physical laws. in numbering
20 save bis own, and ia sacrificing his
own life TO save those OF his family.
David took the shew bread from the
holy altar and the lower order OF ami
mails will die for their young. IL is
useless % deceive ourselves by saying
that this Is an exaggerated assumption,
10 Is q stern reality which must be
faced, since there are hundreds of men
10 the State to-day whose Stomachs are
as empty as was Dayid'S, and families
are literally starving 10 death. Ia
times of prosperity such conditions do
not exist and West Virginia heretofore
has always been a prosperous State,
with demand for latOr, but not
so now For the last six months
It's mining labor has found little
or no employment, and without work
there Is no bread. A large percentage
OF its-miners are natives who have never
learned TO beg, and an Unborn pride
holds them aloOf from charity Such men
will starve or die, before they vii,
make a public display of their poverty
and necessities, and the assertion is
based upon facts within my personal
knowledge. Under such conditions
men must steal. rob or starve.
There is 20 alternative unless honest
labor is offered, or the State makes pro-
vision, since whole communities are
suffering. A few individuals will steal
or starye, but communities will do
neither, consequently neither Of these
alternatives can be applied 70 a cOngre-
CATION of thousands, or even hundreus.
RObbiDg remains the only resort, aud
this is like Quenching the thirst with
brine. 10 not only fails 70 satisfy, but
the effect is sickening, and makes re-
cOvery all the more impossible.
The appropriation OF your neigbbors'
goods is not only against the laws OF
God, State and man, but II leads 10 this
case, 70 anarchism, destruction aud
madness, resulting ia the annihIlation
OF all order and means Of regular en-
ployment.
There is, however a middle state
which was reached in the 6anawha
Valley about the first Of March, beyond
which IL is not safe to 90. and fOrtu-
nately this stage can be maintained I'M
der extreme conditions, though it has
Limit, depending largely upon the char
acter OF the people, and their natural
love for law and order. The civil au-
tborities were absolutely pOwerless, the
Sheriff was fired upon, and dead men
were lying upon the ground before the
National Guard was ordered out. Their
prompt and faithful support restored
the civil authority, and stopped further
bloodshed, working injury 10 none, and
good TO all; but who can say that the
result would have been With0u. such
support2 Based upon human nature In
gtAsraI. a6d the evidence produced at
the trials, 10 is sale q assume that but
for the military power, the entire Kama
Wha Valley would have been a scene OF
death and destruction, beyond civil
control, and paralyziDg to every inter-
est OF the STATE, III not destruction 70 its
chief Industry.
With these conditions, and this evil
deRce, It is imperative that West Nir-
GINA should make proper and adequate
provision for an effective military, not
only for the support OF law, without
which she cannot even exist; but for
the protection OF her labor, as we'll as
the capital invested for its support.
Without law capital can not exist, and
labor cannot live; and there is no law
except by execution. An unexecuted
law Is like an inefficient militia, unwOr-
thy Of the appeHation, false 10 its OBJ
iect, and the community better Od with
out IL.
The State OF West Virginia has made
no provision for its National Guard be-
yend appropriating few thousand dol
lars for an annual encampment, and for
which purpose the appropriation has
been totally inadequate. 10 Is neither
fully armed nor equipped, nor does the
present law enforce proper Grill at
tendance and discipline, without which
there can be no organization deserving I.
the name.
West Virginia assumes that its troops I
shall be armed, equipped and drilled .
under the United states army reguia- I
tons, but gives no compensation what /.
ever for such service and LABOR, unless I
called into actual service, when the /
United States pay is allowed for such /
actual time. In other words, its sol /
diers are expected TO serve five years, I
drill weekly, spend one week in each .
year 10 eucampment, and comply with /
an the hardships and regulations neces-
sary TO make an efficient soldier, for 7
which they receive absolutely nothing;
but 10 called out TO suppress violence
one day in the I've years. they are 20 re-
ceivs about - cents pay, or 43 cents
per diem while their lives are 10 dan
ger. No man In private life could get /
such service without compensation, aud
none with military experience would
attempt or hope to get efficient material
orimilitary organization under such con-
ditiOns 10 is a common error 70 sup
pose that soldiers enlist FOR mill
tary display and fun. Some may
start in under this halluCinatiOn,
but II properly Offered they very soon
find out that there is little display, no
fun, and a lot Of hard work; such al
WAYS fail TO attend drill, as soon as the