The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-17


vocation of personal and political influences
throughout the State, at all times detrimental
to military bodies.
Notwithstanding the insufficiency of the ap-
preparation and the statement that this reduc-
uon OF The force was predlcated upon the IN
suinclency OF the allowance, two new troops OF
cavalry were mustered in, with an allowance
OF S4OO month-eoual to that of four foot COM
panies-one of which WIS at Salinas. town
containing put few thousand lnhaDitants,
ana tnat there was no military necessity LOT
TINS must be apparent to the merest tyro III
military matters. and its effective maintenance
doubtful
:, About this time there was issued an order
that after January /, 1896, the. several COM
han wooa be required TO dr t hos
medlately commenced to obtain recruits and
were meeting with measurable degree OF
success, presuming there would De no more
attempts at reorganization" ~.
1t has been the aim of the National Govern
ment to concentrate its troops at large cities
1or several years past, and 1t is the OPINION or
prominent officers of the army that the strength
OF the State troops should also be concen-
trated IN large cities; that recruits can be more
readily obtained there, and In case OF neces-
sity the large number OF ex-members aVal,able
Tor duty and who readily respond mas been
frequently demonstra ted, while IN many OF the
interior towns, after the novelty OF the new
company has worn off, the difficulty OF ma1n-
tanning the strength of the organization and
obtaining new material TO replace those who
become "tired' or whose terms expire is well
known to military men without proceeding TO
partlcularize localities.
The transfer of the Oroville company OF the
Eighth Regiment, which had been steadily
sinking for the past year, hnaliy closed lts
career, the order reading that its headquarters
were transferred to Chico, distance or over
fifteen miles when, aside from the absurdity
OF the order transferring" the "headquarters
OF a company, one company was ALREADY ioca-
ted in the latter town the population OF which
consists OF less than 5000.
The muster ont of the Oroville company for
the reasons stated in the order would have
been military. The muster in OF new COM
pany at Chico if the town could have main
tanned an additional com pany. would also have
been military, provided that there was any re-
qnirement for it, but the transfer or the mead
quarters" OF company such distance from
farce If nothing worse. The law provides how
a company can be organized but 1t certainly
cannot be revived by nsferring its "head-
quarters from one town to another.
That the scheme OF making one twelve
company regiment in this City ana leaving
the other regimental organizations In the
interior almost as heretofore is not one OF
military necessity or requirement ID easily
seen. 1t means the reduction OF seventeen
companies 10 twelve. II this would retain the
members OF the five companies In the service
there might be shadow OF reason out IL means
the loss of nearly 800 men without any re-
sultant benefit. This was demonstrated during
the summer, when upon muster out OF the
three companies, out OF membership OF nearly
companies; and at the present time 1T is ex-
tremeiy doubtful as to the number OF those
whose mpanies have been consolidated Will
report for duty.
AS to the formation of the new regiment
from the three battalions, by reason OF the COM
position and history of the three battaltons
there would be three separate and distinct
bodies, each striving to outreach the other In
their efforts at rehabilitation at each election
and in short time the riyalries and jealousles
which would be engendered would be detri-
mental to the service. But as this course has
been deemed advisable as one of true mil
itary requirement and necessity, then by
anology many of the battalion organizations
throughout the State should have been re-
tanned as such ana not az in some instances
formed into regiments, with the reglmental
headquarters located at great distance from
some of its companies. notable instance Is
that of the Fifth Regiment having four COM
panes in Sonona and Napa Counties within
two hours of each other and three com
panes in Alameda County and one in
San Jose with the regimental headquarters at
Petaluma. True military requirements and
concentration would have formed the Sonoma
and Napa county companies into separate
battalion; the Alameda County companies
and San Jose company into another separate
battalion and not made regimental organi
cation ont of these two battalions; and the
same condition OF affairs applies to the new
Second and Seventh Regiments.