The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1898-04-29
TRUE PATRIOTISM.
Unmistakable Evidence by the
People of the Nation.

Generous Response to the h"qu"sC H"'
Help-States and Territories Going to
Discharge Their Duty-Difference of
Opinion Concerning the Work of Rails
ing the Volunteer Army.
Washington, April 27.-At the close of
Office hours yesterday Adiutant General
Corbin had received dispatches fro m the
governor of nearly every state and ter
ritory in response to Secretary Al er.
call for information as to the troops the
states and territories will be eN-
pected to furnish under the president
call for 125, 900 men. The tenor of these
replies shows there is no mistaking the
patriotism of the people of this country
in the present emergency. On every
hand there was expressed Willingness
to come to the governments aid ana
the offers were in excess Of the demand.
The body of the kilograms was made
up for the greater part of an enumera-
ton of what the national guard had on
hand, and 4or this reason the reports
of the governors were not made public.
Ehe condition of the guard as regards
their arms, equipments for field duty,
etc. is in many instances not satisldy-
tory, and these will have to be furnished
by the national government Such is
the condition of affairs in the war de-
partment that this will be only matter
of time, however, as the quartermaster
generals office has already issued adj
vertisements inviting proposals for
furnishing large quantities of material
for uniforms, and has increased the ca
pacity for the output of tents, etc, by
contracting with outside firms for this
class of work.
In the ordnance bureau General Flag
Ter, the chief, has succeeded in getting
together an adequate number of rifles
with which to thoroughly equip such of
the militiamen as may be without them.
Many of the latter are armed with rifles
which, as one officer said, have been dis
carded by every nation under the sun.
When the militiamen are regularly mus
tered into the United States service,
prompt measures will be taken to equip
them thoroughly for every duty. twill
take several days to tabulate the reports
that came from the governors, and until
this is DONE the officers of the depart
ment are unable to say with any pre-
csion just what will be required to com
pletely equip the guard for actual
service.
Recruiting for the regular army under
the Hull army reorganization bill will
be begun at once. A circular has been
prepared giving directions for this work
The recruiting will be carried on in the
regiments where they are now located
by regimental recruiting boards and at
the various army posts throughout the
country. With an adequate force, the
officials believe that quick progress will
be made towards recruiting the army
to it's full war strength of 61,00O men.
Some difference of opinion exists
among the war department officials as
to the precise steps which shall be taken
to recruit for the volunteer army called
into service by the president. Although
the kilograms sent by the department
yesterday to the governors of the va
rious states were entirely those of in
quiry, the inference is drawn that the
governors are given certain prerogatives
in the work of raising the volunteer
army. This is combatted by some of the
law officers of the war department
Major J. N. Morrison, assistant to the
Judge advocate of the army and high
authority on military law, in conversa- .
W
expressed his views on this subject,
which. however, he said, We're entirely
unofficial and personal. He says there
is no provision in the volunteer army
act for any state or the governor or
other officer thereof to enlist any of the
men of either the regular or volunteer
branch of the army or for them to have
anything to do with the raising of either
branch except that the governors are to .
appoint certain designated officers of the
volunteer branch.
The enlisted men are obtained in the
same way in both branches, that is by
voluntary contracts of enlistment direct
ly to the United States. The governors
have no more authority, he says, to raise
the volunteer branch than to raise the
regular branch, and it is not likely that
one of them has a single dollar in the
state treasury that can lawfully be used
for raising either branch.
There is nothing in the act that can be
construed to provide that any state or
ganization shall be transferred as a state
organization into the United States ser
vice" mustered in," as The state vOlun-
teer organizations of 1861 and 1865 were
and if the militia officers are not APP
pointed as volunteer officers, or if they
are appointed and do not accept the ap-
pointments, they will remain militia of
ficers.
But if they are appointed and do ac-
cept the appointment, they probably
will have to resign as militia officers. If
they do not resign, they viii simply hold
two Oftfces-one' in the state militia and
one in the United States volunteer army
The act assumes that members of the
state militia organizations viii enlist in
the volunteer army, but does not provide
for them to do so; that is, it does not
require them to do so. Anyone else is
as clearly eligible to enlist as they are.
THREE MORE PRIZES.