The times., 1898-04-26
MILITIA IS UNEQU|PPED
No Clothing or Provisions for
Volunteers.
A DELAY Is NECESSITATED
Men Need Blankets Coats, Cans nud
Arms - Quartermnsters' Rcuuisi-
tions Are Not Honor ed. and Money
Cannot Buy Equipments From the
War DepartmCpt-They Are Need
ed for the Regular soldiers.

There is trouble at the War Depart
ment.
Men are ready to fight, but no provision
has been made for their equipment, and
for some time at least the militia of the
different States authorized by Congress
cannot be utilized. This is because the
War Department has not been sufficiently
active in securing clothing and other
equipments.
1t is a positive fact that there is not
clothing enought to go around among the
one hundred and twenty-five thousand
volunteers called. The militia of several
of the States and also of the District
have not had their acquisitions ordered
for some time, and it is practically i'm
possible for them to secure the necessary
provisions. This is what has caused the
delay in getting the volunteer troops
ready for active duty. How long before
they will be in readiness is not known.
1t is believed that this was at least
partly responsible for the countermanding
of the order issued Saturday for the
militia TO go into camp at the Soldiers
Home grounds. Secretary Alger did not
know that Gen. Harries intended order
ing the entire guard into camp, but be-
leved il was TO be only small number,
possibly the quota of volunteers to be
furnished by the District OF Columbia.
The reason was plain. There are not
sufficient guns of the new pattern, nor is
there sufficient clothing 10 properly equip
the entire National Guard. II is a fact
that equipments for at least two hun
( dred men in the local organization is
needed and cannot be secured from the
War Department. Several men went TO
the camp yesterday minus rubber blanket
woolen blanket, and overcoat. Some had
not even the old style gun. The men
( We're attired in a motley fashion. Some
wore field hats and others had on the
blue caps. There were not sufficient
haversacks 10 so around and men were
compelled 10 tie their lunch in bundles
and place in it baskets and buckets. All
4 this illustrated the condition of the War
! Department to lit out the men who
have so bravely offered their services to
! the country. They are willing to fight
but the Government is not ready TO re-
/ ceive them.
! 1t can be stated that the blunder was
made when Secretary Alger decided TO
+ let the Guard go into camp. He had
no idea that nearly two thousand men
would go into camp expecting to be pro-
yisioned and clothed by the Government.
1 When he learned that the Guard had
gone into camp with the understanding
that Immediately the War Department
1 had TO provide for it he realized that the
I order had 10 be countermanded and the
militia was Immediately ordered back to
the armory.
Another question that many of the men
IS interested in is whether or not they
get pay from the time they go IN camp
! They leave their work and place them
selves under military control and
il is claimed that they should be
compensated from the time they leave
their homes and assemble in camp.
Many members of the Guard can
not afford 10 leave their positions and
receive no compensation in return for
their services. The pay is meager as it
is only thirteen dollars and barely suffi-
cient 10 assist in caring for those left at
home. but TO expect men to give up their
situations and receive no pay merely be-
cause they are not at the front and doing
active duty IS said TO De unjust The
guardsmen are willing to fight. They
yearn for the fray and the smell of
the smoke Of battle: they would be GLAD
TO be ordered away tomorrow but il is
just as much duty when in camp at the
Soldiers Home grounds or while guard
ing the aQueduct as wnen eucamped at
Chickamauga. This problem too has con-
fronted the War Department and it was
learned yesterday on good authority that
they are afraid ali the militia Of the
several States will go into camp and
then expect compensation for that time
This nearly dumfounded the Depart
ment and IL was determined that for the
| best Of reasons the volunteers will not
be called upon just yet for duty One of
these reasons as announced above is the
lack Of equipment, but in some States the
militia are anxious TO equip themselves
and Quartermasters have been sent to
/ Washington to purchase If possible
clothing and equipment. but the War De
paTtment has declined TO sell on the
ground that il had no more than what is
needed for the regular army. 1t is known
that nothing has been done toward fur
nishing the National Guards of the diff
ferent States with clothing and guns TO
be given to the newly enlisted men and
everywhere throughout the country re-
1 cruits have been mustered into the mill
tia by the thousand.
il is possible that Congress will be ap-
pealed 10 for some appropriation to meet
the emergency.