St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-01-14


guard of this state has very poor work
ing organization, but it possesses mill
tiamen who are uneXcelled in any state
of the Union. They work hard for their
organization, but not possessing much
influence with the legislature, must be
satisfied with such legislation, which
upon the advice of some gold braid with
a political pull our lawmakers grant
them.
The session of 1895 is considered no
suspicious one for military legislation.
The guard fondly hoped that they
would be granted proper organization
and that proper provisions would be
made for equipments, etc. They felt
satisfied with the appropriation already
made by the state and the general gov
eminent, the total amounting to $H,-
S445S They thought, and rightly to,
that if this money is properly appropri-
ated that it is sufficient for three regi-
ments of infantry and battalion OF
artillery.
There is in this state a society called
the National Guard Association of Min
Desota, composed Of the cOmmiss Toned
officers of the national guard. They
meet once year and plan schemes for
military legislation, claiming to rep
resent the guard. AS a matter
of fact they do not represent this
organization in any way, they are not
elected to represent it and are In no
way sent to advocate the opinions of
the members of the militia. Assuming,
| however, that the company Of
GERS represent the companies,
there remain forty-nine officers
who practically never see a
company from one camp to another and
are in touch with them in no way. They
object to a proper organization, be-
cause about half Of them in that case
would lose their positions. The legis-
lature must not make the mistake of
supposing these men to represent the
| guard. For the benefit
OF Our Lawmakers
we will state that proper regimental
organization calls for one colonel, one
! lieutenant colonel, three majors, one
adjutant and one Quartermaster. each
with the rank Of first lieutenant, one
sergeant major, one quartermaster SER
geant, two principal musicians and a
chief mu stefan, twelve companies, each
with one captain, one first lieutenant,
one second lieutenant, one first SER
geant, four sergeants; two musicians,
and number of corporalS depending
upon the strength of the company.
One is allowed to every seven men.
The strength of companies is not
fixed for the regimental formation.
The present strength of the gov
eminent companies is sixty-four men.
A militia organization should be the
same with a chaplain at tached, and if
there is no medical corps one or two
surgeons should be attached to the col
oners staff. According to the resent
formation of the infantry regiments we
have three judge advocates who are of
no use whatever to the regiment eX-
cept for show, three commissarieS whose
duties should be aSsmilated by the
quartermaster's department, three in
spectorS of small arms practice, who
have no business in the regiment. The
brigade officer for that purpose should
look after that matter. These men
make an extremely large hole in the an
nual appropriations for doing nothing
at camp-military funds should he
expended in such way that proper
militia organization may be maintained.
Staff and field officers are created to
perform the necessary staff and field
work, aud not for the purposes Of their
own amusement or to look nice at the
expense of the state. The national
guard should be modelled after the
formation adopted by the govern
ment so that when troops from the va
rious states serve in the field together,
the organization, armament and equip
ment will he the same. If few OF the
higher officers would only get it into
their head that they wear gold braid and
nice uniforms because they are necessary
to the guard, and not that the guard ex-
lists that they may hold their titles and
wear pretty uniforms, they would be
better off, and so would the guard. The
Venetian congress, called by some the
National Guard Association of Mime.
sofa, was not even referred to in regard
to the bill introduced at the request
of the commander of the First brigade.
This is another point for the legisla-
ture. No provisions have been made
for the support of that most soldierly
and Woodworking organization, the
artillery. If the useless officers
in the infantry could be done
away with, the money saved could
be applied for its benefit to