The record-union., 1895-04-11
TALKING OVER MILITARY MATTERS.
Brigadiers and CoIonels Confer With
the Governor.
The Brigade Limits Not Yet Decided
On-No HoardIng Up of Com
pany Moneys.

adopted laws governing the National
Guard. The following officers were pres
ent at the conference:
Major General w. Fl. Dimond, Brig
adier-Generals j. w. B. Montgomery, T.
w. Sheehan, j. III. Dickinson and NJ. w.
Muller; Colonels R. E. Murray, William
Mcdonald, Thomas f. Barry, Park
Henshaw, j. w. Guthrie, John r. Har-
rington, Of the Governors staff, E. B.
Spileman, d. B. Fairbanks and j. j.
Nunan; Lieutenant- Commander Fred
erick Ii. Stable of the Naval Battalion,
Lieutenant E. A. Brooks, also of the
Naval Battalion, and Lieutenant Colonel
II. Weinstock of this city.
Major W. II. Dimond of San
| francisco said the impression had pre-
vailed in San Francisco and in other To-
calities that the law providing for the
reorganization of the National Guard
! does not take effect until July lst. lie
said the Secretary Of the National Guard
| Officers Association had informed him
that the Military Committees of both
| houses OF the Legislature had agreed that
the law should not take effect until July
lst, put at the last minute the bill was so
amended that 1t went into effect after its
having been approved by the Governor
/
| important matters which should be care
fully considered by the conference
They are the reduction of the number
OF brlgades from six to three, and
the mastering out of a few of the
companies. He said the existing law
provides for but sixty nine compa-
MES when at present there are seventy
three in the State, and as 1t will be neces-
sary to disband some of the companies
care should be taken ia doing 50, so that
the least deserving companies should be
the ones to be disbanded.
Brigadier-GeneralJ j. II. Dickinson of
San Francisco said that at the time the
officers consulted with the Military Com
mittees of the Legislature it was agreed
that the First and Second Brigades should
remain as they are, and the counties out
side OF those brigades TO constitute the
| Third Brigade.
The Governor said he was opposed to
having one brigade in it's entirety south
OF the Iehachapi Mountains. He said he
wanted TO eradicate the sectional feeling
in this State, and the National Guard
should not be divided in accordance with
the wishes of any particular part of the
State.
General Dickinson said he had not
! heard OF any suggestion of that kind
when the fixing OF the limits of the bri-
gades had been previously discussed
| Governor Budd said he had given the
matter considerable attention of late. and
had decided upon designating that part
! OF the State between the southern bound
ary line of San Diego County and San
| Joaquin County, inclusive, as the First
Brigade; the coast counties the Second
| Brigade, and the entire Sacramento VAL
ley the Third Brigade.
Colonel William Mcdonald of the Sec
ond Artillery OF San Francisco said he
was IN favor of the proposition objected
to by the Governor. and thought that the
! proposition to locate the brigades as
/ stated by General Dickinson was the
! better OF the two.
Brigadier-General I. w. Sheehan of
this city agreed with the Governor that
San Joaquin County should be the diyid-
ing county between the First and Second
Brigades. AS it will be necessary to dis
baud some of the companies, care should
| be taken that the good companies should
remain intact and that the companies
which do not make reasonably feir
showing should be the ones to 90.
General Sheehan said Sacramento
! should be made the permanent headuuar-
ters OF one OF the brigades, as it is natur-
! ally adapted for such by It's favorable To-
cation. Another reason he said is because
this city has an efficient Signal Corps,
which would most likely be transferred
to some other locality if the brigade
headquarters were not permanently es-
tablished in this city.
Governor Budd said he had come to his
conclusion by studying the map of the
State with reference to points of attack,
it's military wants, means OF concentra-
ton and other military requirements.
Major-General Dimond said it was
about time that the sectional feeling in
the State should cease, and the Governor
agreed with him.
The Governor said the National Guard
should be reorganized for active service,
and if there are any companies TO be cut
of the unnecessary ones should be the
ones TO go. He said he had in mind the
company at Santa Paula and one in Los
Angeles. He had heard complaints about
those companies, and they will be inyesti-
gated.
Colonel ]. w. Guthrie of this city, who
commands the Second Infantry, and Col
| onel X. Il. Spileman of San Diego, COM
mander of the Ninth Infantry, agreed
with the Governor in his intentions to
make the National Guard what it should
| be-a valuable nucleus to the military
| branch of the General Government.
Governor Budd said there had been con-
| siderable discussion about the present
standing OF the Brigadier-
owing to the reduction of the number of
the brigades, but he said he considered
! that they should remain IN command OF
/ their brigades until their successors are
appointed. The regiments, he said, were
not affected by the fact that the brigades
were reduced from six to three.
General Dickinson said that as it will
| be necessary to muster out five of the
! companies in order to come down to the
! sixty-nIue provided for in the new law.
/ this should be done upon the showing
made by them at the inspection and mus
| ter. The companies making the poorest
| showing should be the ones to be
dropped.
Colonel Guthrie of this city said he was
/ opposed to that method of deciding the
fate of the companies TO be mustered out.
/ 1t would be an easy matter, he said, for a
company TO present first-class appear
ance at the inspection, when ordinarily
| it may be one of the drawback of the
guard.
Governor Budd said the Controller is in
a quandary about paying the companies
in the State in their present status. AS
the law took effect on March 10th, pro-
viding that there shall be only sixty-nine
companies when at present there are
seventy-three, the Controller did not
know from what companies he should
withhold the monthly allowance.
Considerable discussion ensued on this
poiut, but nothing was done in the mat
/ ter, as the gentlemen present could do
nothing OF which the Controller would be
obliged to take cognizance.
! The Governor said that hereafter all
/ moneys received by the National Guard
will have to be accounted for, and when
called upon for that purpose must be able
TO show, item by item, the various
amounts paid out by them. The Ma
tionaly Guard, he said, should not be criti-
cised for extravaganza and in order to
prevent such criticisms the amounts paid
out by the companies must be itemized
IN their monthly returns to the Adiutant-
General. He said he had been informed
that several of the companies and bat
teries have saved up considerable money
out OF their monthly allowances instead