The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-05-30

till 1925, when John Quincy Adams
secretary of war, James Barbour, in
vited the assistance of the governors
OF the several states and of citizens in
terested in military matters, and ap-
pointed board headed by Gen. Win
field Scott, and containing Lieut.. Col.
Zachary Taylor as one Qf Its members.
to consider the arguments presented by
all these persons. {: 4 "
The board reported recommending a
select corps of militia, to consist of one
brigade for each district in congress.
and that the officers Of this corps spend
ten days each year. in camps of in
struction at federal expense, the regu-
lar army furnishing the officers who
should give the instruction.
For another ten years the question
sank into a fitful slumber, to be re-
vived by President jackson, but with
out permanent effectso IL
RADICAL SUGGESTION.
Van Buren's secretary Of war, Joel
r. Poinsett, was more radical than any
of the other advocates offa federal mill
tia system. He proposed, in 1910. the
division of the militia into three class
es, active, reserve and mass. The act
i've militia was to consist of 100 900 men
apportioned among the states. each
state being required to keep up it's
quota Every year $4,000 of the active
militia were to go out of service and
join the reserve. The active militia
was to be called into the service of
the United States and trained in camps
of instruction for thirty days every
year; but the mass of the militia was
not to be subject to duty of any sort
in time of peace. This proposal was
considered to stretch the constitutional
prerogative of congress almost to the
breaking point, and it was soon
dropped.
In 1916 an effort was made to pass a.
bill limiting the militia enrolment to
the ages between twenty-one and
thirty, and providing for the annual
instruction of the officers at federal ex-
penSe.
This brings the matter to the out
break of the Mexican war In the
meantime, in spite of the meager en-
couragement received from Washing
ton, the states had been permitting the
organization of volunteer regiments
troops and companies, partly social and
partly military, and giving them slight
inducements of one kind and another
worked into fighting condition was
drawn the nucleus Of the volunteer
army that marched into Mexico.
From the Mexican war till the war
of secession little was done in congress
looking to the encouragement of a ma
tional militia system; ltbut after the
civil war several efforts were made to
engraft reforms upon the antiauated
statutes. The most energetic of these
efforts were in the Fifty-first and
Fifty-second congresses when some lit
tie prospect seemed to present itself
of the enactment of a new law provid-
ing for uniform system of organiza-
ton and discipline, and modern arma-
ment and equipment, the title to which
should remain in thes7iiU nited States.
The permanent yearly appropriation
was increased in 1887 to $400, 900, and
later bills proposed; to raise this amount
to 100000
The mistake which .the militia re-
formers have deafhitherto has been
in allowing a period of real necessity,
like that of actual warfare, to pass
without compelling congress to pay at
tention to this important subject, After
the temporary excitement is over, 1t
is the history of all legislation that a
period of listlessness ensues in which
it is, impossible to get anything done.
1t is sincerely hoped that the present
war and it's immediate sequels may not
be allowed to pass into history with
out the amendment of the militia law
in essential particulars as an incident.