The San Francisco call., 1895-11-14
COLONIES IN NEW DANGER
Fourteen Companies May Soon
Be Mustered Out of the
Militia.
The Full Financial Allowances Accom-.
panied by Grave Threats From
Sacramento.

When Governor Budd, Adiutant- Gen
eral Barrett and the other mem bers of the
Board of Military Auditors decided the
other day to pay the National Guard COM
panies their quarterly financial allow
ances they incidentally threatened to
make things intere sting for the colonels
and captains within a very short time
This forewarning of trouble has caused no
end OF uneasiness in the City armories, and
every one realizes that the National Guard
of California is in the throes of another
and more complete reorganization.
The colonies are particularly troubled.
In the recent elimination of a few brigade
organizations and companies the City
colonels managed to hold on to their
eagles by proposing to accept from the
State S75 month per company. The
company commanders, rating money sew
eral degrees above colonels, vigorously
objected. The Governor and his military
board withheld the money until yester-
day. For month and half the organ
izations had been bankrupt. Company
captains, armory and com pany commit
tees, armorers and innumerable outside
creditors registered a combined and en-
thusiastic kick. Finally the board gave
in. The company captains won, and now
the regimental commanders are called to
account.
At their session the Board of Military
Auditors threatened one of two things-the
dismounted companies must agree to ac-
cept $75 instead of $100 month for their
maintenance or fourteen National Guard
organizations will have to be thrown out
of the service. There are now sixty-eight
nny h. II
alton, reduced by the last Legislature, will
only support about fifty-four companies at
$100 month. The company commanders
will insist on receiving the full allowance,
and this means that the militia must be
reduced in size. If one or two companies
are taken from the regimental orga MIA
tons the office of colonel will go with
them.
Governor Budd and Adjutant-General
Barrett have already discussed tn matter
OF disbandIng several of the San Francisco
companies, making battalions of the regi-
ments or one strong regiment and a single
battalion. Of all military stations in the
State this City will feel the strike of the
lightning most severely. The Board of
Location is still convinced that San Fran
cisco has too many companies.
a National Guard officer said yesterday:
The reorganization will have to be re-
sumed. The captains of companies were
never consulted about reduced allowances.
and now that they have Won their fight
with the colonies before the Board of
Auditors, they will undoubtedly refuse to
accept $75 month for the sake of saving a
colonel his job. There seems to be but
one thing to do with the companies here.
This is to throw out one regiment, make
two regiments of eight companies each,
give the Second ArtilIery's Eapa company
TO the Filth Infantry, and thus make that
also an eight-com pany regiment. Bnt
whatever they do, there is trouble ahead.
You may depend upon it that within
month or two the Governor and his gene
rails will begin to stir things in this CITY.
The companies here were never in so
much danger as now, and I'ia not much of
prophet II San francisco IS not given the
grandest shake-up III the history of the
service