The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-06-01
NO SPECIAL SESSION YET.
Governor Voorhees, Will Bor-
row Money to Equip Any
Additional Troops
Needed.
SECOND REGIMENT FOR THE FRONT
State Military Authorities
Perplexed Over the 900
Additional Recruits
Called For.
SECOND REGIMENT FOR THE FRONT
Especial to ssrhe Jersey city News."I

Especial to 1.-THE Jersey City Newss']
CAMP VOORHEES,. SEA GIRT. june /,
lSS.-Governor Voorhees, said yesterday
| that there was no likelihood of a special
session of the Legislature being called in
order to provide more funds for %equipping
the State troops called for by President
McKinley's proclamation. The Governor
said
anticipating the call for troops, the
Legislature provided equipment for 1000
men, and also provided a sufficient sum
for subsistence. There was some little
delay in camp. and this caused a slight
deficiency. The money necessary to make
1t up will be borrowed, and I have no
doubt that the Legislature will refund
the same at it's next regular session.
IAN extra session will only be called
If it should be found necessary to make
provision for the voting of soldiers. This
question is now under consideration. An
old law was enacted which permitted vot-
ing by soldiers. but whether the suisse
quent enactment of the Werts law re-
pealed the prior law is now the question
we are trying to decide. If it is found
there is no such repeater, no extra session
will be needed. If the occasion should
arise, the Legislature will undoubtedly
make the necessary provision so that the
soldiers can cast their votes
The Second Regiment, under command
of Colonel e. w. Hine, will start for
Chickamauga at moo today. 1t will go
in train of three sections of twelve
cars each, beside a sleeping car for the
officers with each section, and cars for
the camp baggage and equipage. The
men will take ten days rations with them.
which have been sent by the United
States from Philadelphia. The first stop
that the train will make will be at Har-
risburg. Pa, and a telegram will be sent
to that place to provide coffee for the
1.026 men, allowing one pint to a man.
The regiment will take it's tents with it,
as did the other New Jersey regiments.
Many military problems are perplex-
Ing the Governor and the State military
authorities just now. Governor Voor-
hees is p~erplexed regarding the 800 addi-
tional recruits to be called from New Jer-
sey to fill up the regiments already in the
field. AS three regiments have already
been called, this would apportion $3.50 men
to each regiment; but as there are twelve
companies to each regiment, neither Gov
ernor Voorhees,, General Stryker nor Col
onel Oliphant is able to see how an
equal number of men can be assigned to
each company.
The new call says that there shall be
113 men and three officers to each COM
pany, making the total number of sol
diers in each regiment 1,326. as against
1.034 in the original call. Thus. the Gov
ernor explains, there are 22 more men
wanted by the Government for each regi-
ment, or a total for the three regiments
in the field of rs more men, and, there
fore, he still belle YES that some mistake
has been made by the Government in CALI
ing for the $50 men. The call. moreover,
outlined that the men shoul immediately
be sent to their respective regiments, but
no mention was made of possible rejec-
lions by the physical examiners. This
gave rise to the question of where and
when the men were to be put
through the same examinations as the
men originally sent out with the volunteer
regiments underwent. If the men Joined
the regiments South, General Stryker
stated, and were rejected, transportation
would nave to be paid for them to and
from their destination by the Govern
ment.
ut seems to me- said Governor Voor-
hees, ito be manifestly unfair to our
State that the 800 extra troops called for
should be deducted from the number as
signed in the second call. In some States
the regiments we're permitted to be mus
tered as organized and the number of
men enrolled was much less than that
called for by the Secretary of War. The
result is that in some States the troops
were mustered in with nearly as many
officers as men. This is n~oticeabiy so in
Pennsylvania, where the whole National
Guard was ordered out. and where, in one
instance, there were more officers and
petty officers than there were ~privates.
Some of the regiments in other States
were mustered in with less than 500 men.
In this State every regiment had its full
quota of 1,034. The authorities of this
State feel that it is not just to the regi-
ments in the field to be compelled to place
a number Of raw recruits in the well
drilled companies, as it is thought It
would tend to demoralize them more or
less in the high standard of efficiency to
which these companies have already at
tanned. We believe it would be far better
to mobilize the new recruits in some CEN
trally located camp where they could be
drilled for some time to be brought up to
tandard of the companies in which
they are to be enrolled"
1t will be at least a week, 1T is thought.
before any of the volunteers recruited
throughout the State can be mobiMzed
at Sea Grit.
8 One of the reasons given by the Ma
tional authorities for not calling out the
New Jersey batteries is that the Govern
ment would not be willing to trust the
guns of delicate mechanism to i~nexperi-
eneed men. This is an injustice ito New
Jersey, for our gun detachments and
Calling gun companies are most prof.
Gent IN the handling Of their pieces. If
the cavalry is called, the two troops will
probably be formed into a squadron, and
will very likely be comprised in the COM
mand of a major.
The men at Fort Hancock nave an easy
time, having practically no drilling TO
do, as the sane is too deep. Their only
work is guard duty. During the day only
d few guards are out, but at night five
miles Of beach are carefully patrolled.
The men have considerable leisure. and
are permitted to wander about the FORTH
cations at will.
The men are supposed to answer every
roll call, and absence without permission
brings p11nfshment. SATURDAY. two bows