New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-05-02
THE NEW-YORK GUARD IN THE PARADE

lively discussion has been aroused in Ma
tional Guard circles by the fact that Adjutant-
General Tillinghast was in command or the
State troops on Tuesday and rode at their head
in the parade Several officers Of high rank
have said quietly for publication, though proDa-
bly, with more emphasis among themselves, that
If the Governor, for any personal reason or be-
cause he was requested as the Chief Magistrate
of New-York TO attend the President of the
United States, chose to relinQush the command
he should have given it to Brigadier-General
Ftzrerald or to one Of the other three field Of
ficers of equal rank. In reply TO this structure
u semi-official statement has emanated from the
Adiutant- Generals office TO the effect That
Major General Tiinghast took command In
obedience to special order from the Command
erin Chief and furthermore that any other as
scnment would have been anomalous and I'M
proper inasmuch as in that case a superior Of
ficer would have been subject to the orders OF an
inferior 1t is not disputed, of course, that the
Adiutant- General was in command by the GOV
ernors direction that the Governor had au-
thority 10 put him there; but the propriety OF
the assignment is a very different matter.
So far as we are aware. members Of the Ma
tonal Guard are not disposed in their discus
sion of this affair to make the Governor un-
necessarily uncomfortable. They are aware
that he has not had the advantage of military
training and would naturally look to others for
advice The chief trouble seems to be that he
looked in the wrong quarter. 1t is true that a
recent precedent for magnifying the Importance
and enlarging the functions of the Adjutant-
General exists but it Is perncious precedent
which is more honored in the breach than In
the observance Some melancholy consequences
of this perverted view have been in plain evil
dence before the National Guard for several
years, and were brought TO public notice last
winter as the result Of General McLewees alb
r,,pt and harsh dismissal after almost quar-
fer of a century of faithful service. for telling
the truth in an official report. II is fact, Also
that the Adjutant General, created by the Gov
ernor and holding office at his pleasure, is
Maior-Genera) and therefore in n sense out
ranks the brigade commanders: but neverthe-
less he is in respect TO his regular functions an
upper clerk. The Military Code provides that
he shall keep a register Of the officers OF the
military establishment, preserve all its records
and papers make an annual report Of its cond-
ton and expenditures. audit all It's accounts and
claims cause thes military code, articles of war
md regulations in force to be printed, bound,
indeyed, annotated and distributed, and all nee
essary blanks. forms and notices TO be prepared
and issued. He likewise attends the Governor
AS the chief Of his staff on all ceremonial occa-
sions and impars more or less pomp, circum-
stance and lustre TO the gubernatorial presence.
More than this Is not required of him, and he
best performs his part when he undertakes
Lothlng more than this.
To say that Adjutant- General Tillinghast ex-
ercised the command OF the New-iOrk troops
On Tuesday In strict obedience TO All explicit
order lawfully issued is to say what every MEM
Der of the Guard comedies TO say that his ap-
pearance In that capacity was regular and suta-
BILE In a military sense would be utterly erro-
neous and absurd. AS everybody who is COM
petent 10 speak on the subject knows and in
stinctively feels, the citizen soldiers should have
been led by brigade commander, preferah
by General Fitzgerald because Of his seniority.
He and other officers have naturally shrunk
from criticisng the Commanders in-Chief or
from any expression Of feeling which might be
attributed to vanity and petulance but they
have distinctly condemned violation Of mill
tary order and propriety which excited aston
ishment among visiting troops from other
States and tended to bring the military estab.
lIshrnent OF this State into contempt. The Incl
dent fOrcibly illustrates the necessity OF reor-