The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-05-29

subject. Our present militia law was
enacted in 1892, and is so antiquated
as to be ridiculous. Here is a section
OF the law as it stands today:
THE MILITIA LAW
Every citizen SHALL after notice of his en-
rollment, be instantly provided with good
musket fre-lock OLA bore sufficient for
balls of the eighteenth part OF pound, a
sufficient bayonet and belt, two spare fi1ts,
and knapsack, pouch with box there
in to contain not less than twenty-four car
tridges, suited to the bore of his musket or
firelock. each cartridge to contain proper
quantity of powder and bail; or with a 60 cd
rifle, knapsack, shot-pouch, and powder horn.
Bach commissioned officer shall be armed
with sword or hanger and spontoon.
But to return to the plan for re-
organizing the militia under the dual
responsibility system. so that it might
he of immediate and effective service
in time of need. I would have the gov
eminent provide uniforms, arms and
equipment. This would secure uni
formity, and we should. not see the
troops coming in as they are today,
some with shot-guns some with
Springfields and others with Krag-Jor-
gensons. The states should provide
drilling places or armorieS, where the
men should be required to drill for two
hours at least once week, and for
| that service the government should pay
| 90 cents, or 81 a month. Once a year,
and for period of thirty days, these
troops should go, into encafnpment in
| their respective states, but at the eX-
pense of the national government; and,
while on duty, soldiers, officers and all
should be given one months salary
at the same rates and just as if belong
ing to the regular army. These camps
| should be under a regular army officer
OF the proper rank, and not a mere
captain or lieutenant who goes down
to look on and help the boys have a
good time. They would be United
States soldiers as well as militiamen.
Each year a national encampment of
sixty days should be held for the third
of the militia that were completing
their term of service-a graduating
| class exercise, as it Were-and there
would be enough men to make an army
corps, or about 1000 men. This would
give chance for all the evolutions of
brigades, divisions and corps, or all
the maneuvers known to the army.
EXCELLENT TRAINING.
| In this way we should get some ex-
cellent training. and the latest West
Point instruction would filter down
! through the ranks. These militiamen
would be like the regular army in point
OF preparation, except that, instead of
| devotlng all their time to a military
life, they would have one month in
summer, two months the last year, and
|. Two hours once a week the rest of
the time. They would be paid accord
i lngly, and, as an expense to the ma
tlonal government. would bear a like
proportion to the regulars, except that
the government would not have to feed
these militiamen during the eleven
months of the year. No man shouId
allowed n CT
therefore, be educating our people in
|. soidlery at the rate of perhaps pa. O0O
/. or $4,000 a year, or as many more as
/ congress cared to provide for The eff
|. fects of this system would be most
beneficial. There would be just enough
military schooling for it's best results
ana not enough to produce the de-
moralization incident to a life wholly
/ devoted to soldering. So much service
! as this would be a splendid thing for
every young man in the country, teach
ing self-control, steadinness, and de-
Veloping the physical side of life. When
war came on, we should then have a
framed Soidlery, only slightly behind
the regulars in experience and eo,lin-
ped and trained in every way, like
| them. Some provision might be made
Tor few substitutes to take the places
OF such percentage of the militiamen
| as would at any given time find it incon.
VeHieHl 10 go TO the front. But there
would be no trouble on that score.
The thought underlying Capt. Bra
| dy's plan is well expressed in an edi-
| tor1al in the old Washington Canital
Of Jan. IL, 1890, which reads as follows.
REGULAR ARMY NUCLEUS.
After century of more or less inteI,isent
experiment. nothing better than the nationa al
| guard system has been hit upon. If should
| be source of interest and honest nride ~
| every patriotic citizen. The active memIers
! OF the guard from our first line of reserves
Those who have served and retired would
under proper system, form the second
line. With the regular army as nucIeus
and the active national guard ready to an,
swer the call to arms at a moments NOT ce
we could mobilize army effective in nun,
bers. in training and in dscipline-in short
an army, and not an armed mob, which would
| require six months a year to learn the
| rudments of the art of war. We MANAGED
| to pull through during the Civil war smIlv
| because the enemy, at least was as I'M
prepared at the outset we were. If a for
| eign enemy ever attacks us, We will be given
no time in which leisurely to get ready to
| hght. Suppose we had had in 1861 a national
| guard of 100000 men, armed and equipped
drilled and disciplined. which could have
been modified and concentrated speedily, we
would nave been spared at least two years
OF war and their enormous expenditures of
money and terrible sarcifces of men.