St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-10-29

est 10 the Minnesota militia will be printed
every Monday morning.
The national guard of Minnesota, in
Guiding the governors staff. now con
slsts of seven brigadier generals, twelve
colonies, eleven lieutenant colonies,
eleven majors. forty-oue captains,
forty-seyen first lieutenants, twenty
nine second iieutenants, and 1851 en-
listed men. including sixty musicians;
ii is Just a little top-heavy.
1t seems to be the intention of those
who possess the influence to have the
national guard organized upon the same
principles as the United States army
this coming winter, i. e., twelve COM
panles to 4 regiment subdivlded into
three battaliOns of four companies each.
In th3t case the United States army
company formation will be adopted,
each company to consist of sixty en-
listed men, including one lance cor
poral, four corpcrals, and five SER
geantS.
Capt. John F. Huston. U. S. A. in his
report to the secretary OF war. says:
1.-The work of the company during the
winter season should be systemized by
laying out a course of drills and instruc-
tons, to which the company commander
should rigidIy be held. Too much time
has been spent on the manual of arms
to the prejudice of other work" (Report
of July Is, 1888. II rumor is correct,
the regimentai commander will soon
issue orders regulating and systemizing
the drills for the coming winter. The
average duration of the winters drills is
seldom over all hour and half. Of
this it is not necessary to spend any
mole than twenty minutes on the man.
ual of arms and tirings. thirty Oh the
close order movement, fifteen on the
bayonet exercise and twenty-five on the
most important of all, the extended Or
der system.
There is a school for the non-com-
missioned officers of the First battalion
at the armnry every week, and it will
probably continue throughout the en-
tire winter. This school cannot be to
well commended. The present system
of open order movements requires
efficient and reliable non-comms,
and there is no better method in time
of peace to put them in this condition
than complete familiarity with the
theory of their duties.
The position that the militia will play
in case Of necessity in The national de-
Tense seems TO cause much worry among
the officers of the regular army; the
majority seem to conceGe that it might
at least form the second liue; in other
words, act as reserve. Admitting this
TO be true, what troops will compose the
first or firing lines? The present force of
the regular army is not large enough
TO even form respectable rear guard,
let alone occupy that important posi-
ton. Say what they may, the officers
Of the government troops must admit
that in case of actual danger the nation
will not put Its trust in $4,000 mercena-
RIGS, but rather in the 100 members of
the militia, who represent the people.
Admitting that the armies, in case of
future war, will consist all the way from
3G9,U0 to 3,0U0,000 men, it is evident
that those who are already drilled and
efficient will be sent to the front ilnme-
diately upon the declaration of war.
The circumstances of the services will
hardly admit of certain 25,O00 being
reserved or used for shy particular pur-
pose. In any case, the militia would
occupy the first line. and it would be
left TO the hastily raised leyies to act as
reserves.
1t would then seem evident that the
serve together; that the same reuuire-
mentS would be expected of each, and
that in actual service there would be no
distinctions. A militia officer would
enjoy the same prerogatives and be
subject to the same rules and restric-
tions as officers of the regular army,
and the same would hold good of the
enlisted men. Let there then be no
distinction in time of peace, and stop
these small chickering's about the merits
and dement's of the other.