The San Francisco call., 1898-04-02
STRENGTH OF STATE MILITIA This Will Be a Factor in the Event of
 War. War Department in Possession cf' All Essential Facts
 and Details. Men Who Could Take the Field at Once to Defend Their Coun-
Men Who Could Take the Field at Once to Defend Their Coun-
 try.
Special Dispatch to The Call.
Call Office. Riggs House,


 The military formation division of the War Department has in prepara- tien. publication giving great mass of information concerning the military of the. different States and Territories based. upon returns for 1887. It is of particular interest at this time, in view of the possibility of this reserve army being called upon for active military duty. For the sake of ready reference there has been. prepared asuccinct sum . mary showing the, more important features of the operations of the guard.
 The total authorized strength is 1S4,- S4S more. than the organized strength. Oklahoma has the smallest force, 300, and New York the largest.
 There are regularly organized State hospital or ambulance corps in the States of California, Georgia. Illi- nois, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota. New Hampshire, New Jer- sey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont and the District of Co., lumbia Many of the States have very complete and efficient regImental hos pital and ambulance corps. Signal corps are reported as organized in a number of States: Official State en- campments of instruction were held in thirty-one States during 1897.
 The duration of the encampment var jed from two. days in Nebraska to ten days in the District of Columbia six days being the average. Regular troops encamped with State troops in Alabama, California, Kansas, Mfchi- gan, Minnesota, Tennessee. Texas, Yer mont. Seventeen States-Connet tticut, Georgia, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Ho rc h 70 New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Wisconsiri-are reported as owning their camp grounds.
 As to armament, the conditions are:
 Infantry-All of the States except Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana and New York are completely armed New York the Remington rifles are now being exchanged for the Springfield ri fe, Scaliber 40.
 Cavalry-The cavalry of all the States is armed with the Springfield carbine, caliber 45 except Illinois, Lou isiana, Oregon South Carolina and New Mexico. The Illinois cavalry is report ed same as in regular service" The greater part of the cavalry is also arm ed with the saber and revolver in addi- ton to. the carbine.
 Artillery-Thirty-on out of the thir- i ty-nine States having artillery organi- zatians have one or more Gatling guns. | Mahy of the States have the 3.2 B. l.. rifles. but a large proportion of the ar | tiilery armament is old and out of date.
 The equipment in 1897, though in slightly better shape thar the year be- fore, is still far from complete. Con- siderable improvement was shown in the care of the equipment. In almost all cases the artillery harness is old and ! rlt,a S.ti tioa tu nf and staff officers in all the States own | their mounts. There was a slight in- crease in 1897 in the number of shelter 1 tents. The tentage is reported as am pie for the entire guard in Colorado, 1 Connecticut, Delaware, Kansas, Ne 1 Pennsylvania, Vermont, Washington, | Wisconsin and the District of Colum- 1 bia:
 Weekly drills by company and field exercises were held in many States and i twenty States report a regular course of instruction at the home stations dur ! ing the winter months. Guard duty was performed in a manner far from satisfactory. There was a marked in- crease in the amount of outpost duty. l Target practice was held in thirty | four States. Though many of the States permit the existence of inde- pendent commands, the tendency is more to discourage their support or or ganization, particularly in the vicinity of the home stations of the guard, fer the reason that they absorb material that would otherwise find it's way into the ranks of the regular organization and, besides, not being subject to the uniform administration and discipline of the regular State forces, they can not be counted on in emergency In the following States and TerritOr- | fre. +1,< ,-1 T IL civil authorities in maintaining the law: Alabama, California, Colorado, Illinois 1 Kentucky, Ohio. Pennsylvania, Texas 1 Washington and New Mexico.