The San Francisco call., 1898-04-04
NATIONAL
 GUARD NOTES Much Enthusiasm Pre- vails in the Guard at
 This Time.
Major Diss, Inspector Firs1 Er.gade, Has Ideas About
 the "Red Book"
Too Much Talking in the Ranks at a Battalion Drill-The Naval
 Militia Recruiting.

The war fever is at its height among the National Guard members in San Francisco, and should war be declared the First Regiment of Infantry, Colonel James F. Smith commanding, having al- ready offered its services, as announced in The Call of yesterday. will be ready to move to the front at short notice.
 The First, with pardonable pride, wants to be the first to represent the State of California in the field, and If orders should come to have 1t move Influence will be brought to bear to have 1t sent to some point where 1t will be able to demonstrate that it can make record for itself and show that the men who are enlisted within it's ranks are little more than ''tin soldiers"
 Reports from other parts of the State show that there is as much enthusiasm in every organization as there is in the First Infantry and that there will be no shirking should there be call for men.
 While the division commander is re- maining silent as to the guard of the State and what is being done in the mat ter of preparation, he is quietly, to use his own language, gathering the various strings in order to discover the status of the guard It is the opinion of those interested, that as soon as he has picked up all the strings the major-general will, war or no war, place the guard on a footing that will not be excelled by the guard of any State in the Union.
 The appointment of Major William A. Halstead, commissary on the staff of the brigadier-general of the Second Brigade, as ordnance officer on the staff of the division commander with rank or heu- tenant colonel, vice William Edwards, resigned and returned to the retired list, has not yet been officially announced, but nd will be long before he will have the right to wear two silver oak leaves on his shoul- der straps.
 Attorney J. J. Dwyer, who has been of- fered the position of judge advocate on the staff of the division commander, with the rank of neutenant-colonel, still has the offer under consideration. His hesi- tancy in the matter is uncertainty to be able to devote the time from his business to attend to the duties of the ofhce as he would wish to- He stated that shouiq he accept the offer at this une ne 6i,,ein, Woulu commander on his tour or lnspectlon through the southern part of the State during the month of 4 May bIt tha5 mat ens1 fro so doing. He was informed that the offer will remain good until after the re- turn of the division commander
 PRINTED ORDERS AGAIN.
 It is understood that the next orders from general headquarters will be print, ed and will supersede the unsightly and that have been sent out for some time; That is one step in advancement, ana now there is some hope that an effort the Red Book" the wade mecum of every National Guardsman. This book, however, is not considered of any value, sion Se1a1Se Worse a c eonfoSnded.' Major J. W. F. Diss, inspector of the First Brigade, in one of his reports has the following on this subject:
 Another source of perturbation to officers and men is the volume of rules and regula- tions of the National Guard of California, know as the Red Book Of all combinations of transformation they have to contend with this is unquestionably the worst. It Is com pIete compendium of military inaccuracy, sup plemented by a mass of obsolete and useless precautions rules and regulations formulated what there was before they came into office. On every seven out of ten pages there are metricaiiy opposed to the regulations of the army-which should be the rule of conduct as far as practicable sections or the PontEa, hsb have been amended over and over again. are side by side with instructions for inspections based on General Upton's tactics. Descriptions of uniforms long since superseded, ind place side by, side with rules which cannot be ap- uuently been issued. Men who are anxious to learn what the laws are touching the National perusal of this volume. All this initiates
  would recommend that we have attached l to the staff of the commander n-chief. an | officer of the regular army. that he be made i the rules and regulations governing the serv- | ice in California to the end that officers and | men alike may be intellgenty educated. The | State owes 1t to them that they be properly | instructed and informed in legitimate and | business-lilke manner
 1 The views of Major Diss have been con | firmed by every officer in the guard who | feels the slightest interest in its upbuild- | ing. but no Board of Revision was ap- pointed by the Commander-in-Chief, por | has the ''officer of the regular army . l who is Captain F. de L. Darlington of the First Infantry, U. s. A., been called upon to act in the capacity suggested. It has been recently suggested by officers and | men who would like to have a good guide book that as the Division Commander is l a lawyer, we'll versed in political and mill | itary law, and Captain Darlington is we'll versed in rules and regulations govern 1 ing the United States army, they might with a little assistance from some of the bright military men, such as Lieutenant Colonel Giesting, Assistant Adjutarr- General on Brigadier-General Warfield's staff put the laws. rules and regulations in a comprehensive shape and that the United States army inspector of the guard could. between inspections, devote some time to a revision of the work. If that were done there would not be any occa sion for remarks such as were made