The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1898-04-15
PUTT|NG ON OUR ARM0R
Secretary Alger Will Define the
Status Of National Guard.
LEE 70 LEAD VOLUNTEERS
The Revenue Critters Which Are 10
Come Down to the Sea From the
SiguaIs Will Warn Greater New
York of the Approach of an Enemy.

Under instructions from Secretary AL
ger. Assistant Secretary of War George
ID. Meiklejohn has been making an eX-
animation into the rights of State mill
tia. and he will at an early date issue
an official paper defining absolutely the
rights of these citizen soldiers. In re-
spect to the question the Assistant Sec
retary of War said:
I'm the event of war the Army will
regulars; second, the organized militia;
third, the volunteers. for which better
name is the war army, for the services
of the volunteers begin with the war
and end with 1t. The militia referred to
in the Constitution does not mean the
National Guard or any organized militia.
but 1t means all citizens of the United
States between eighteen and forty-five
years of age, able to do army service.
Therefore the militia, organized or
otherwise cannot be called out for serv-
ice by the President in war which does
not come under the head of insurrection,
invasion, or to enforce the laws of the
United States. Congress must pass Ii
law authorizing the President to call for
these men, and they will constitute a
voluneer, or war army. The National
Guard would enlist as individuals for
the term of the war.
IF the President fears an invasion he
may call upon the National Guard or
organized militia to do duty as such
along the coast In such an event the
militia or National Guard would not
have to enlist as volunteers"
How many men do you think the
President will call out?"
'In my judgment. about $1,000. and or
ganized militia will be given preference
We have 25,000 men in the Regular Ar
my, and that will give us Il total of Is. 900,
enough to start with
Major J. n. Morrison, judge advocate
of the Army. said:
The National Guard of a number of
the States, in view of the fact that mill
tia cannot be sent abroad as an invading
army are claiming that they are State
volunteers and not militia. But that po-
sition is not tenable, and besides they
have been receiving appropriations from
the Federal Treasury right along as mi
litia, and have also been annually re-
porting to the War Department as mi
litia.
THE Federal Government cannot now
afford to concede that they are not mi
litia. for if that is conceded the Presi-
dent would have no power to call them
into the United States service against
their will
Il have no doubt all those who are
anxious to go with an invading army
would as willingly go as volunteers as
go as militia, if il were not for such
matters as obtaining new commissions"
Lee TO Command.
The President has decided to give Con-
sui General Lee the command of the
Virginia volunteers in the event that
hostilities break out between this country
and Spain. This decision on the part of
the President was reached after a con-
ference with Secretary Alger and a num-
Der of other military men.
The matter was first broached by a
friend of the President who suggested
that il would be a good plan to give Lee
a command Of some sort in case of war
The President consulted with several
friends who advised him that il would be
impossible to appoint him to a command
in the regular Army.
The President, who is a stanch ad-
mirer of General Leee, was nonplussed.
Finally the announcement was made
from the War Department that in the
event that volunteers were called for the
President would appoint ali officers of the
rank of colonel and above. and officers
under that would be appointed from the
various States from which the volun-
I GERS were received. When the call is is
sued. Virginia General Lees State, will
furnish her quota, and the President will
designate General Lee as the commander
of the forces from the Old Dominion.
Owinc. to General Lees great knowledge
Of the typographical conditions of the is
land of Cuba. il is more than likely that
his command will be given orders to at
once proceed to Cuba. General Lee him