The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-08
EQUIPMENT OF THE TROOPS.
WAITING on THE PRES
DENTS MESSAGE.

,-.c,upment VIII BE HeId-The
cn,thnm Artillcry's Petition for a
po,tery of Modern Guns Forward
.d 70 the War Department..
c.o+ f. Brooks returned yesterday
-r,-r from the meeting of the military
-5.isory board In Atlanta.
The action of the board on the matter
= immediate equipment of the state troops
f,r campaign. purposes has already been
,blshsd. The recommendations of the
,.,orl have not been carried into effect,
however. Gov Atkinson, to whom, as
.,.,r,5uder of the state TROOPS, the board
,nokes It's recommendations. did not see
matters in the same light as did the ma
i,ritv Of the board.
THE Governor declined TO do anything
,,otJ the Presidents message had been
seri in. when he will determine whether
the bulk of the military appropriation
shall be expended for equipment or wheth-
er IN is more important that the usual en-
c,ronment should be held this year.
Resides its recommendation as to the
ovnenditure of the fund in hand, the
hoard thought the matter of equipment so
i-,nortant that it passed resolution re-
opssrirg the Governor to send Quarter
r.sfer General West and Assistant Adjt.
con Brown 10 Washington TO confer with
the authorities of the war department for
the purpose of securing Georgia's proper
tior of the annual appropriation payable
N stale militia in advance, the amount,
raarlv $4,000. being due in July. The
Governor did not see fit TO approve this
recommendation either. After having
made hard fight in the board and sue
ceedjng only by a majority of one in
making the encampment secondary to the
matter of equipment, the members of the
committee were disappointed az the stand
taken by the Governor, as they considered
the need immediate. 1t is only fair to
Cant Brooks to state that the greater
part of this information was received
from another source,
The committee appointed by the board
to carry it's recommendations into effect
consists of Mai. w. j. Kendrick of the
Fitch Regiment, Capt. J. f. Brooks Of the
First. and Capt w. A. Patton of the Third
Infantry Regiments. The committee is to
act in conjunction with the Adjutant Cen
eral and the Quartermaster General.
Another recommendation of the board,
which was not approved by the Governor,
was that a competent clerk be appointed
in the adjutant generals office, an I'D
dition to the force which the military Of
fcers understand to be much needed. Ad-
iutant General Kell himself has been in
very i'll health for a long time, and was
reported, while the board was in session
in Atlanta to be in almost a dying con1i-
ton The duties of the Office are beng
discharged by the acting adjutant gem
eral Lieut.. Oscar j. Brown, L. S. A.
The petition of the Chatham Artillery to
be granted a battery of new guns OF mod
ern make did not come directly before the
board the Governor having already for
Warded the request to the war department.
and called upon Senators Bacon and Gay
to lend their aid in securing the granting
of the petition. It is hoped that by rea-
son of the present state of affairs, the de-
partment will see its way clear to turnisn-
ing the Chathams with full equipment
Of the new 3.2-nch guns direct, without
charging the cost of the battery against
the states appropriation. The cost OF
equipping an artillery battery with the
modern guns is no small item, the govern
meuts figures placing the cost at nearly
$1,000, not including transportation. The
full equipment of a battery consists OF
four 3.2-inch guns, with four caissons, ana
d long list of minor articles.
As Georgias proportion of the govern
ment appropriation is only less than yl2.
700, it will be seen that if the equipment
for the battery be secured through the reg
ular channel il would take up the appro-
pration to the state for more than year
and a half This would leave the advisory
Wi pnIIin the infantry
and cavalry companies of the state. This
is the reason the request was not made in
the shape of a requisition. With the sup
port Of the two senators and the proper
backing of the Georgia delegation in the
House, there is good grounds to believe that
The request may be granted.
As the oldest artillery organization in
the South, the Chathams ought to be able
10 get almost anything now with good
backing. With the prospect Of trouble with
Spain and with the Chathams located just
in the neighborhood where that trouble
Is expected to develop, it would seem to
be to the governments advantage to nave
we'll equipped battery here, especially
as the services of the regular artillerymen
at Tybee could be reduisitioned for the pur-
pose of training the men in handling the
guns.
Capt. Brooks, in speaking of the action
VI filH bOdTu, Sdlu lndl just dt llllS SCetSoi
OF the year it was considered that blankets
and ponchos were more desirable than
oVercoats if the men were to be called into
campaign. Cooking utensils will also be
necessary. Many of the state troops are
already equipped with overcoats and the
rest could be furnished later on as they
We're needed.
Il am no jingo, said Capt Brooks, in
speaking of the present situation with
Spain. but 1 can't help feeling that
something is going to come of all this war
ldIk. Spain's purchase of 100000 rifles
the other day does not look much like
peace With war facing us the best pol
icy is to be ready to meet it. What prep
afations the war department has made
Tor the equipment of a volunteer army, /
do not know. / have seen no announce
ment which would throw any light on this
subject"
COL W. w. Gordon, who presided over
'he meeting of the advisory board. did not
return yesterday, having gone to Carriers
vile to visit his sister, Mrs. Stiles. He is
expected back tomorrow.