The San Francisco call., 1895-12-15
GUARD OFFICERS ROAR
New and Merry Row Over
the Election of a
Colonel.
LINE OFFICERS RIGHTS.
Object to Voting by Lieutenant.
ColonelS Who Are
Lost.
SHOULD ELECT MAJORS, TOO.
EX.Colonel Sullivan Comes Into the
Fight and Changes the
Situation.


from stormy sky.
The new trouble is about the officers,
the colonelcy, the right of three Lieutenant
colonies and three ma iors to vote for the
new colonel and the legality and justice of
the ommander-in-chief's appointing the
lieutenant colonel and the three majors of
the new First Regiment. instead of allow
ing the line officers to elect them. All this
Will be seen to be new food for trouble.
The campaign preceding the election OF
a colonel for the big new City regiment
next Thursday evening developed various
things yesterday, including the more than
probable candidacy of eXColonel w. 7.
Sullivan who, with many officers, is for
Colonel Mcdonald first, W. 2. Sullivan
second and against c. III. Crocker all the
time. The caucus arrangement of Tues
day night which assured Crocker's cleo
ton, seemed to be going to pieces yester-
day and all sorts of things may work and
happen before next Thurs night.
But while the merits of colonelcy mat
ters were of lively interest the fierce and
threatening way in which a number Of
officers had begun to talk about the meth
ods of the election ard criticize the course
and perhaps greater trouble.
One has to take a short course in mill
tary law and guard regulations and watch
the drop of general orders to get hold of
the trouble.
The reorganization wiped out three regi-
ments in San Francisco, then created three
independent battalions and then created q
new re giment. During this process three
observation-disclosures and three ma jors were
mixed up in the shuttle and apparently
dealt to the "boneyard." Who. what,
where and how they are is uncertain but
pertinent. 1t has been decided by the
jutant-generai that they may vote for
the new colonel. A lot of officers and
others interested assert that they should
have no vote. Six votes will cut big
figure in the election.
Then it has been decided in Sacramento
to appoint one of the three lieutenant
colonels and three of the majors to serve
with the new regiment. 1t is claimed that
this is violating the military law of the
State, which gives the line otficers-the
captains and lieutenants of companies
the right to elect the field officers of the
regiment. SUCH a state of affairs will be
seen to be serious. The officers who are
starting the roar point first to section 1885
of the Political Code, which provides for
the election of field officers as follows:
Such officers are elected by the commissioned
officers of the different companies composing
the regiment or battalion, and when the regi-
ment or battalion is already formed, by all
the commissioned officers thereof, except the
staff officers.
This, it is said, clearly gives the line Of
fcers the sole right to elect the field Of
ticers when regiment is not formed and
it vests In the line officers the right TO
choose the field officers over them, q right
which the Governor cannot take away
The succession of orders becomes peril
nent. General orders II of December 2
.'consolidated' the First and Third In
fantry and the Second Artillery regiments
into as many independen battalions
newly desig mated as the Fourth, Fifth and
Sixth, and assigned lieutenant-colonel
and a major to each battalion, placing two
observation-disclosures and three majors on
waiting orders. The consolidation was all
right and the assignment" of field officers
to temporary commands was according to
Hoyle, for a captain may be assigned to
the temporary command of a company in
another regiment.
But then On the 9th came general orders
Is, saying:
The twelve battalions now composing the
National Guard of California are hereby
organized into five regiments of infantry as
The fourth, fifth and sixth battalions of the
Second Brigade are organized into one regi-
IT,
The brigade commanders will Immediately
call an election for colonies of the respective
regiments, provided by section 1884 of the
Political Code.
The permanent assignments of the lieuten-
ant-colonels and ma jors to duty, with the re-
spective regiments, will be announced in
future orders, as prescribed in paragraph 3S1
of the laws and regulations OF the National
Guard of California.
1t is pointed out that the regiments were
first destroyed as regiments and made in
dependent battalions. There was then no
First Regiment. Then these independent
battalions were "organized, not ''consoli-
dated" into new regiment-a new First /;
not the old First. When this was done
the three lieutenant-colonels had no COM
mand. If new regiment was organized
to impose one of them on it would be
violation. of section 1885 of the Political
Code. The majors are in a similar fix
Now then are the three lieutenant-colonels
connected with the new regiment newly
organized?
If they are, the regiment has three lieu
tenant-colonels. an impossibility and the
height of absurdity. Two and probably
three will be wholly out of the organlza-
ton. Now, where does their right to vote
for a colonel OF a new regiment, to which
they do not belong, come in? ask the
kickers. They say that if captain were
assigned to duty for a few days in another
regiment he would have no right to vote
for a new colonel for that regiment. The
same points are made against the majors
voting.
Then general orders No 20 of the
ninth follows with more trouble. 1t says:
Immediately after the election of colonel
officers are directed to express by ballot their
choice for lieutenant-colonel ard majors in
their orders. The field officers selected, as
provided in this paragraph, will be recon-
mended by the commander of this brigade to
the commander-in-chief for the positions indi-
Gated by said ballot.
Here the legal right to elect the field Off
GERS, besides the colonel, is denied, and it is
said that selection as directed would
carry no guarantee of appointment the
way things might turn out. The kickers
claim right to elect anybody they please
as at any other election, or as on the or
ganization Of new regiment, which this
process is. They are jealous of this right,
and, of course, the kick is full of guard
politics.
No official order that the lieutenant
coonels and majors are to vote for colonel
has been made or is needed, but it is semi
officially and reliably known have Lieu
tenant-Colonel Giesting of General War
fields staff, who is to preside at the cleo
ton, has been directed to rule that they
may vote.
| The appointment" of a lieutenant